Pets
At Stonewater, we recognise that pets provide a range of benefits to their owners, including providing companionship, offering a means to make contacts and socialise with others, and keeping active.
Owning a pet isn’t for everyone and Stonewater also has a responsibility to ensure that we provide balance, making sure pet ownership does not impact on the rights of others to enjoy their homes and neighbourhoods. As such, when we do grant permission to keep a pet it is under the condition of our customers being responsible pet owners and ensuring that their pets do not cause nuisance to those around them. We’ve created guidance on what this looks like and also what actions Stonewater will take to support this should we need to.
Our pet policy

In recognising the benefits of owning a pet and listening to the views of over 1500 customer we have created a ‘pet friendly’ policy that covers all of our homes. Our pet policy was written with the help of our customers and with reference to good practice guidance produced by the RSPCA, The Dogs Trust and Age Concern.
Read the policyA guide to keeping pets in your Stonewater home

This guidance has been created to encourage responsible pet ownership and make sure we support our customers who want to have pets and those who don’t.
Read the guideKeeping a pet
If you want to get a new pet or bring your existing pet to your Stonewater home, the first thing you need to do is let us know. Our Customer Service Centre teams are the best people to speak to about this in the first instance. They will be able to help you with the process, explain pet ownership conditions and discuss any lease restrictions with you.
We will need to know some basic details about the pet(s), such as type, breed and size. This will help us both to work out if your home or the building you live in is suitable for your pet, as some of our homes are subject to lease restrictions which prevent us from being able to grant you permission.
In our Retirement Living homes, we will be able to grant permission for a maximum of two animals to be housed with you. This does not include those small mammals, bird and fish listed below.
Before submitting your request to us we would ask that you consider a range of things when deciding if your home will be suitable for your pet:
- The size and positioning of your accommodation
- Your lifestyle and ability to care for your pet and meet its welfare needs
If we are happy that the property is suitable for your pet we will confirm our agreement with you in writing, along with the pet ownership guidance and terms upon which permission is granted.
Ensuring your pet’s wellbeing
The welfare of our customers' pets is important to us and we encourage the following things from pet owners:
- Registration with a vet
- Pet identification
- Alternative arrangements should you go on holiday or into hospital
- Pet insurance
Take a look at the FAQs below, which will answer questions such as which pets you need to ask permission to keep. We would encourage you to read them before making your decision on asking permission for a pet.
We've also put together some more in depth FAQs for if you're looking to get a pet and if you're worried about your neighbours having pets.