A new survey from Barratt Homes has shown that nearly a quarter of pet owners have their pets sleeping in the bedroom, and 20% allow them to sleep in the lounge.
Sales director at Barratt Homes, Richard Lawson, says: “Pets are important for a variety of reasons - from the company they offer to the practical help they can provide for those in need. Many of those who buy our homes are careful to select the perfect layout and setting, not only for themselves but for their animals too.
“Our designers are only too aware of this when they create new homes, which is why they provide a wide range of house types that are a great fit for many different lifestyles - pets or no pets.”
Of those surveyed, 12% have their pets sleeping in the kitchen, 6% in the utility room, 5% of owners provide pets with their own private spare room, and 5% have an outdoor sleeping space for them.
We’ve had a look at some families who have moved into a new home with their beloved pets…
Pet palace at Wedgewood Park
A couple have moved with their cat, Lily, and two dogs into a ‘Greenwood’ style home at David Wilson Homes’ The Village at Wedgewood Park.
The ‘Greenwood’ is set over three floors. The ground floor contains an open-plan kitchen dining and family room with a glazed bay filling the room with light. There is also a private study and handy cloakroom. The first floor contains a spacious lounge and master bedroom which benefits from an ensuite. The second floor contains two further double bedrooms and a family bathroom.
Alison says: “What attracted us to the ‘Greenwood’ style home was the unique layout. It’s ideal for us with our pets as we can have a pet-free living room on the first floor. We also love the top floor which we use as our master bedroom and a dressing and lounge room which makes a nice calm getaway at the top of the house.
“As soon as we visited Wedgwood Park we knew it was exactly what we were looking for. The homes are beautiful and set in open green space. The rural area has lots of woodland walks for the dogs, there are lots of amenities and nice pubs nearby.”
Find out more about The Village at Wedgewood Park from David Wilson Homes
Downsizing with poodles
Sarah Moore downsized from a three-bedroom semi-detached to a two-bedroom end terrace home at Lovell’s The Oaklands development in Telford, after her daughter Samantha and her boyfriend, Michael moved out last year.
Sarah says: “When the new homes had started being built by Nuplace, I contacted Lovell to make sure that I could secure my dream home. I liked being offered the choice to personalise my new home with Lovell’s ‘Inspirations’ range. I upgraded for a larger wardrobe in the master bedroom and requested neutral colours for the interior design.”
Sarah works as a payroll administrator, but is also a dog trainer, and lives with her two poodles Poppy and Kizzie, which she takes to dog trials.
Sarah adds: “I also moved to The Oaklands for easy access to Telford Town Park, where I can take my dogs for walks and train them for any upcoming trials. The rear garden is also an ideal space for my dogs to relax when we’re at home.
Find out more about The Oaklands from Lovell Homes
Relocating with a rescue cat
After relocating from South West London to the Norfolk countryside, John and Jan Marshall decided rural life wasn’t for them, and so made another move, this time to Dorset, near family.
Jan explains: “After a few moves, an apartment was going to be the answer for us, both financially and practically. We were aware of retirement developments through relatives, but as we’re not quite in our dotage yet – we both still work – we didn’t want to buy anywhere too drab and dowdy.”
The couple have just bought a 40% share of a spacious two-bedroom apartment at Monterey, Platinum Skies’ over-55’s development in Christchurch. Their ground floor flat has a private patio area and direct access to the communal gardens.
There was one thing in particular the couple were looking out for - the apartment had to be pet-friendly.
Jan continues: “We bought off-plan and were the second people to move in so we got our first choice apartment, with a garden view. Finding somewhere for our rescue cat was very important! Not everywhere accepts pets and some don’t allow pets in the grounds. Bernard is quite the outdoorsy type so I don’t think he’d take too kindly to not be allowed into the lovely gardens here.”
Prices at Monterey by Platinum Skies start from £140,000 for a 50% share of a one-bedroom home (full market value - £280,000).
Upsizing with Linden Homes
For young homeowners, Steve and Kelly Woodhouse, it was a spur-of-the-moment visit to Meadow Gardens’ marketing suite that inspired them to buy a new build property. Steve, a 32-year old animator, and Kelly, a 28-year-old cabin crew member had never expected to move from a flat to a four-bedroom house.
Steve says: “After living in an apartment, we were always keen to get more for our money with our next home and push our investment that little bit further, but we didn’t imagine that visiting Kelly’s mum would lead to a deposit on a four-bedroom house!”
On their first visit to Meadow Gardens in Thaxted, which is a development of three-, four- and five-bedroom properties, Steve and Kelly decided to put down a deposit after learning that buying a new build would minimise the wait for their next home:
“We only looked at one property and knew instantly that it was our dream home. We were looking for a detached property in a lovely, quiet location, so Thaxted’s historic location in the countryside fitted our remit perfectly.”
Nowadays however, fewer households own pets, and one explanation for this couple be that more people rent rather than own their home. Finding a rental home where pets are allowed can be tough, and so delivering more pet-friendly homes could become more of a priority.
Build-to-rent developer, Be, offers pet-friendly tenancies at its be:here Hayes development in West London. Assistant property manager Akash Sharma says: "Some of our pet-friendly apartments have large, private and secure gardens perfect for furry friends to run around - that's pretty unique in apartment living, especially in London. We try to help our four-legged residents adjust to their new homes by giving them special attention (and even some tasty treats) on move-in day."