Animal Boarding EstablishmentsAll businesses that provide boarding accommodation e.g. kennels and catteries for dogs or cats are required by law to be licensed by the local authority. The licence must be obtained before the business opens.
Licences will not be issued to people disqualified under the following Acts
- The Animal Boarding Establishment Act 1963
- The Pet Animals Act 1951
- The Protection of Animals, Amendment Act 1954
- The Protection of Animals, Cruelty to Dogs, Scotland, Act 1934
- Performing Animals, regulation, 1925
Please note that anyone found guilty of the following offences may face a substantial fine or prison sentence
- Keeping an animal boarding establishment without a licence
- Keeping an animal boarding establishment in contravention of the conditions of the licence
- Obstructing or delaying any person in the exercise of his powers of entry to the premises
Apply for a licence
Download the  licence application form (169 kb). To view this document, you will need Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free.
The application form should be completed, signed and posted to the Licensing Unit along with the appropriate fee. Please enclose a cheque or postal order made payable to the London Borough of Southwark. Please send the form and the cheque to
Licensing unit
Chaplin Centre
Thurlow Street
London
SE17 2DG
Fees 2007 to 2008
The application process
Conditions for the issue of a licence
Before a licence is issued, you will have to satisfy the Licence Inspector that your premises comply with the following rules
- Animals will at all times be kept in accommodation suitable as respects construction, size of quarters, number of occupants, exercising facilities, temperatures, lighting, ventilation and cleanliness
- Animals will be adequately supplied with suitable food, drink and bedding material, adequately exercised, and (so far as necessary) visited at suitable intervals
- All reasonable precautions will be taken to prevent and control the spread among animals of infectious or contagious diseases, including the provision of adequate isolation facilities
- Appropriate steps will be taken for the protection of the animals in case of fire or other emergency
- A register must be kept, containing a description of any animals received into the establishment, date of arrival and departure, and the name and address of the owner, such register to be available for inspection at all times by an officer of the local authority, veterinary surgeon or veterinary practitioner authorised under section 2 (1) of this Act
The council may withhold a licence on other grounds if the Inspector decides the premises are unsuitable for animals.
Your right to appeal
If your application is refused, or you don't agree with any special conditions attached to the licence, you may appeal to the Magistrates' Court. The court may then decide whether the licence should be issued or the conditions of the licence changed.
Inspections of animal boarding establishments
The council has the right to inspect any licensed establishment in the borough. The council may authorise a vet or any of its officers to do the inspection. On production of proof of identity, the inspector has the right to enter the premises at any reasonable time to inspect the premises, any animal on the premises and to ensure that no offence is being committed.
Further information
Download further information and guidance
To view the documents above, you will need Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer. Download Adobe Acrobat Reader for free.
Contact us
Licensing unit
Tel: 020 7525 2000
Fax: 020 7525 3077
licensing@southwark.gov.uk
Chaplin Centre
Thurlow Street
London
SE17 2DG
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