Briefly, this is our situation. My daughter is 31 and lives in sheltered accommodation. One of her special interests is ferrets.
The landlord says they allow pets if they don't make a noise to disturb the neighbours and don't do damage to the property, and if the welfare of both pet and owner are taken into account. Ferrets are silent (small birds are allowed, which are not), and they don't chew (small rodents are allowed, which do). My daughter is an experienced ferret owner. She has space and knowledge to care for them, so their welfare would be assured, and her welfare and mental health would be improved by having them. We have the support of her GP on this.
Despite this, the landlord is refusing permission. They don't have a list of animals that are allowed, or not allowed (except dogs, cats and snakes, which definitely are not) but say they make the decision on a case by case basis based on their guidelines. As far as we can see this would meet the guidelines and they can't give us a clear reason why they don't. In fact, they originally said yes (verbally) but now say no (in writing).
The landlord has suggested she considers other pets but as ferrets are a special interest other pets won't do. She has tried.
We have offered to register the ferrets (there would have to be two, they like company) as Emotional Support animals and the relevant body is willing, but in the UK this doesn't give them the same legal recognition as, say, a service animal like a guide dog. Despite this, we are going to ask them to revise their decision on the grounds that it's a reasonable adjustment to my daughter's condition.
What we'd like if possible is a precedent.
Does anyone know of someone who has successfully made a similar argument? I would really like to hear from you, on this board or privately on debbie.waller@btinternet.com
