Would you know a dangerous dog if you saw one? Most tenants wouldn't and who can blame them. You may think the huge black snarling beast with the sharp teeth next door is a dangerous dog but the law probably disagrees. How can the Dangerous Dogs Act help?

The problems caused by dangerous dogs remains a topical issue and a controversial one. I've often had calls from landlords, who in turn have had calls from their tenants or other residents in the area - The new problem tenant next door has a dangerous dog and I want you to do something about it!

But when is a dog legally dangerous? The Dangerous Dogs Act restricts it to 4 breeds; the Pit Bull Terrier, the Japanese Tosa, the Dogo Argentino and the Fila Brasileiro. It is illegal to keep any of those breeds and if you do discover your tenant with a dog that falls under those categories, you should contact the Police.

If the dog is not any of those breeds, you should be able to enforce the removal of your tenant's dog if it's causing nuisance and annoyance to others but ONLY if you have had the foresight to impose that power of removal as a condition of the tenancy agreement.

Or you could ask the local authority to get involved! Scotland now has the benefit of the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 - which allows local authorities and the courts to impose conditions on dog owners where their pet is considered to be out of control. This could be anything from muzzling the dog to attending behaviour classes.

The remedies are there for the landlord to make use of when dealing with a dangerous dog. But the people complaining about your tenant's dog have to be made aware that unless the dog is out of control, and/or falls under the legal definition of a 'dangerous dog', there is nothing that you as a landlord can do.

Getting complaints about dangerous dogs and want to know more about the Dangerous Dogs Act Get in touch with our team for advice.