A pet-loving landlady barred by the High Court from renting out her Limehouse apartment to anyone with a cat or dog has managed to get a parliamentary bill aimed at changing the law.
Gabby Kuehn had to quit her flat near the Limehouse marina in 2017 rather than give up Vinnie, her loveable Maltese Yorkshire terrier, after losing courtroom dog fight with managing agents.
She moved to a pet-friendly block in Bermondsey with Vinnie while renting out her Limehouse property—but was forbidden to let it to a pet-owner.
Now she has backing from Romford MP Andrew Rosindell to get the law changed to give anyone the right to have a pet in their home.
Mr Rosindell had his Dogs and Domestic Animals Bill ready for a second Commons reading on February 26 — but it was postponed because of Covid restrictions.
Instead, a webinar was held when he introduced his bill with a discussion on pets in the age of lockdown.
“Andrew’s bill has support from all over the country,” Gabby told the East London Advertiser. “The pandemic has really highlighted the importance of pets to people.”
The government changed the Model Tenancy agreement in January making it easier to rent with pets.
“This is a massive nod of support,” Gabby added. “But the model agreement is just guidelines. Many renters assume the law has changed which isn't the case. Legalisation is now needed.”
Gabby began her campaign in 2017, first revealed in the Advertiser, with a petition to outlaw blanket bans on pets.
“We won the legal argument,” she recalls. “But the judge ruled that it was also okay for a group of residents to decide they didn’t want a dog in the development.
“This three-year battle took me to the edge of a breakdown. But we dusted ourselves down and continued raising awareness as this issue affects the homeless trying to get accommodation with their pets or renters looking for pet-friendly accommodation.”
Gabby’s PAAW.HOUSE campaign is backed by a growing lobby of east London dog-owners like Lesley Balding's “Canary Woof” social group which held annual shows at the Limehouse Street Festival before the pandemic.
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