UK pet friendly properties

2021 Guide To UK Pet Relocation

17.05.2021 10:05 am

Pets are part of the family. You would not leave them behind. Whether you are moving within or to the UK with your dog or cat from abroad, they come with you. Pet relocation is a complicated process anyway without changing rules and regulations plus throw in covid flight restrictions and Brexit.

Naturally after 1 January 2021 with Brexit, everything has changed and there has been a lot of uncertainty. To be safe it is always good to start off by following official UK Government pet relocation guidelines.Also have a look at the UK Government Website for official advice which outlines assistance and guide dogs are an exception.

You cannot go wrong when following officials sources as part of your research when looking to relocate to the UK with your pet. This Heathrow Airport Guide on Pet Travel is comprehensive for facts and more information on the Pet Travel Scheme.

You hear of many people relocating to the UK without their pets as they have to wait for a place on a flight. It gives people time to find a pet friendly rental before their dogs and cats are flown over. A positive and we have found that has helped some of our relocation clients at Pets Lets. However, with the shortage of ‘seats for pets’, you do not know if your dog or cat will be flown over next week or in a few weeks.

The negatives are time away from your pets and the increased costs with boarding as well as the transportation costs.

Planning is key. Do your research. It is important that you get it right and hire professional companies to advise you. We list preferred pet travel partners on The Pets Lets Information Hub, which is also a font of information about renting with pets in the UK. Facebook Groups are also a good source of advice to start you off and point you in the right direction.

If you are relocating with your pet from South Africa, have a look at The Emigrating with Pets from South Africa Facebook Group

At Pets Lets, we set up a Pets & Property Tips Facebook Group to help pet owners when dealing with landlords and estate agents in the UK.

Renting with pets UK is another group which offers discussions on renting with pets as well as listing some pet friendly properties.

If you want your dog to fly in the cabin

Dogs, cats, pet pigs, ferrets, birds for the majority come into England, Scotland and Wales via air cargo. The UK does not allow animals into the cabin unlike other countries.

If you are coming to the UK with your dog, for example, and insist on it being with you in the cabin, then we work with a company called Pet Moves, who pick you up from the airport in Paris and drive you to the UK via the Eurotunnel. This article from Pet Helpful outlines the excellent service they had when using Pet Moves from landing in Paris to getting to the UK.

Relocating your dogs and cats to the UK

For people relocating from the US with their pets, this blog by Alyson Hayley, How we moved our dogs from the US to the UK is a great source of information, particularly on the paperwork and the making sure the relocation of you dog to the UK goes smoothly.

This blog outlines the steps, costs and what to look out from Alyson Hayley’s own experience relocating from the US to the UK with a dog. Emirates is an airline that pet owners do repeatedly recommend. Here is a link to the Emirates Airline Pet Policy which clearly outlines the rules and regulations.

Costs involved to fly a pet to the UK

The cost of flying a pet really does vary on where you are flying from and your ultimate destination, as well as what kind of pet, size(s) and quantity. Costs will vary from the different companies.

As mentioned before, have a look at the The Pets Lets Information Hub and contact our preferred partners for a breakdown on pet relocation costs.

With covid restrictions, a lot of pet owners are relocating to the UK first and then flying their pets over when they get the places. With limited flights for pets, there is a lot of uncertainty on timings.

The Movehub website gives a lot of information and allows you to get an estimation on the costs of pet relocation to the UK. The cost of flying a pet can vary from over £200 to over £1000 depending on the size, weight of you pet and travel routes. Click on this link and it will let you do a pet relocation calculation. Also use this article to calculate all additional costs from vaccines for rabies to microchips costs to getting a pet passport. It all mounts up, so clarity is important.

Whether you are relocating to the UK with your pet or any other country, the airlines have their own rules and regulations to further complicate matters. Prepare to fill in forms and go through the ‘red tape’.

Moving with your pet to the UK

The UK is an animal loving nation. The Queen has her corgis and with the lockdown puppy boom, 50% or potentially more of the UK population owns a pet. Visit Britain Shop offer tips about coming to the UK with your pet, the official entry requirements, with general dog travel advice in the UK, as well as holidaying with your dog in the UK.

Summary

Rules and regulations are changing all the time with Brexit and covid restrictions. Relocatiing with your pet is a costly and time consuming process to set up. You need to research who will handle your pets transportation as well as have your paperwork in order. We know how difficult it is to find a dog or cat friendly rental. The more dogs or cats you have the more concerned landlords become in the UK. Their concern is damage as they are looking after their investments. An insurance cover for any potential damage by pets to a landlord’s contents does help landlords and agents consider you more seriously. Click on this link to a recommended independent insurance company, The Alan Boswell Group or call 01603 218 399 and quote Pets Lets.

Dogs Trust Lets with Pets Scheme

The Lets with Pets Scheme offers valuable information on renting with pets for landlords as well as tenants. As useful site to go to for more in-depth information about what is needed when looking for pet friendly properties. Everything from putting together a Pet CV to giving you a pets clause to insert into rental tenancy agreements.

About Pets Lets & What We Offer Pet Owners

Pets Lets is a UK pet friendly property portal with a relocation service. We are more than a IT system listing properties, we are here to advise pet owners and encourage pet owners to contact us.

Finding pet friendly accommodation in the UK is difficult. We list long & short term pet friendly rentals as well as holiday lets. If we don’t have the right property for you on the portal, we will no doubt, know someone who does through our network of contacts. Feel free to email us on hello@petslets.com

A Testimonial from a Happy South African Client:

“Coming over from South Africa in January during difficult times, Russell and Tracie at Pets Lets listened to what we wanted and came up with suggestions. They found us a property that would accept our 2 dogs, negotiated on our behalf and ensured everything went through smoothly. We now have a lovely family home in Kent. Mr & Mrs R 2021”

This article was written by Russell Hunt, Founder of Pets Lets, a UK pet-friendly property portal offering properties where landlords consider pets as well as a pet friendly relocation service.

For useful advice or to find out more about the UK pet friendly rental market, feel free to join our Pets and Property Tips Facebook Group for helpful professional advice on pets and property.