Home boarding for dogs

On 1 October 2018, new regulations on home boarding for dogs in England came into force. Anyone who provides home boarding for other people’s dogs for commercial gain is now classed as a business and needs to have a licence. This is because the law now recognises it as a profit-making enterprise.

Our Trading Standards Service has a duty to ensure a level playing field for all licensed activities. It ensures that these services meet the same strict licensing criteria, to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the animals.

Our role is to secure and maintain compliance, ensuring that the appropriate standards are achieved.

If you make more than £1,000 income by providing home boarding for dogs, you will be classified as a business and need a licence.

It is important to note that a £1,000 trading income (ignoring any costs involved in producing the litter) is a tax threshold. If you make £1,000 or over (ignoring any costs involved) you have an obligation to declare this to HMRC. At which point the costs incurred will be assessed to determine whether tax is payable or not.

There is a star-rating system which will see licensed home boarding for dogs receiving a rating from one to five stars based on two factors:

• welfare standards against which the business is operating
• the risk rating (based on the businesses history of meeting these standards)

North Somerset District Council may grant a licence for a period of one, two or three years as part of the star-rated licensing model. 

For example, a business who has a five-star rating would be issued a three-year licence. 

A lower star-rating means they will be inspected more often and pay a higher licence fee.

To apply for a licence, contact us first to discuss your proposal and any fees payable. You will need to meet some criteria to apply.

More information