Housing association tenant in Aboyne evicted over dog fouling

The tenant was penalised by the housing association after her dog fouled communal areas. Picture: TSPL

A housing association tenant has been evicted from her property after a two-and-a-half year-long battle over her dogs being allowed to foul in communal areas.

The tenant of Langstane Housing Association was warned about complaints from neighbours as far back as August 2014, with the registered social landlord withdrawing permission for her to keep her pets.

The woman, who has not been named, assured the association there would be no more problems with her dogs, and she was allowed to have the animals live alongside her at the property in Aboyne.

But after further complaints from neighbours, the association again withdrew permission for the pets. It said the tenant was given a “reasonable opportunity” to find an alternative home for the animals but “refused to do so”.

In turn, Langstane began legal action to end her tenancy, with its solicitor applying for an eviction order.

At a hearing at Aberdeen Sheriff Court in December 2016, the tenant admitted she had persistently allowed her dogs to foul in the common areas and had not cleaned up after them.

Helen Gauld, chief executive of Langstane, said issues with dog fouling was a major concern for its tenants across the North-east and warned it would be prepared to take legal action against other owners.

She said: “The association recognises that owning a pet can have a beneficial effect on the physical health and social wellbeing of our tenants.

“However, during our recent customer satisfaction survey dog fouling was highlighted as a major antisocial behaviour issue for our tenants.

She added: “We encourage responsible dog ownership and will work with individuals where there may be issues with their pets but if they repeatedly refuse to clean up after their dog then we will have no other option than to take action against their tenancy.”

The association, which manages 2,700 properties across Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, and Moray, operates a pet policy which states that “where a tenant refuses to address problems involving pets causing damage or nuisance, permission will be revoked and the pet must be rehomed.”

It adds that animal waste, including cat litter trays, must not be left in communal areas, while the animals are barred from “roaming” in communal areas.