Home boarding is the most common licensed animal activity in England: councils issued 5,439 home boarding licences in 2022 to 2023, more than kennels, catteries and day care combined. The conditions are detailed and very specific to boarding in a house. This guide sets them out, then covers how the rest of the UK differs and what a licence costs.
Based on Defra's statutory guidance for home boarding in England as published in October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. Your council's inspector interprets the conditions and sets your maximum number of dogs, so speak to them early.
Who needs a home boarding licence?
In England, you need one if you board other people's dogs in your home as a business. The council looks at whether you're trading for profit or earning a fee. If your trading income is below HMRC's trading income allowance (currently £1,000 a year) you don't need a licence, but earning more doesn't automatically make you a business either. A few points that catch people out:
- Day care in your own home is licensed as home boarding, not as day care.
- Businesses that arrange home boarding with hosts, including franchises, are covered too.
- Looking after a dog in its owner's own home (pet or house sitting) isn't licensable.
The home and garden
- Dogs must live inside the home as part of it, not in outdoor kennels.
- Each dog, or each set of dogs from one household, must have its own designated room where it can be kept separate. Rooms need a full-height door that latches and a secure window.
- Hallways and bathrooms can be used. Meeting the optional higher standard means not using them.
- Any divided space must be at least 6 m², and mesh in dividing barriers no larger than 50 mm by 50 mm.
- The home must have direct access to a private, non-communal, secure outdoor area. A balcony doesn't count.
- There must be at least two secure barriers between any dog and any exit.
- Smoke detectors on each floor, at least one carbon monoxide detector and a written emergency plan.
How many dogs?
There's no national maximum. Your licence states a maximum that's reasonable for your facilities and staffing, and dogs that live with you count towards it. The minimum staffing ratio is one person to ten dogs; the higher standard is one full-time person to eight. If you're away for an extended period, a competent person must cover. Some councils have their own limits, so ask.
Mixing dogs from different households
- You need written consent from every owner before dogs from different households are boarded together.
- Each new dog needs a documented trial session with the other dogs, including your own.
- For the higher standard, stays of more than three nights need an overnight trial first.
- An optional higher standard is to board only one household's dogs at a time.
- Dogs are fed separately unless the owner agrees in writing.
- A bitch in season can't be boarded with dogs from other households, and no entire males may be on the premises while one is.
Daily care
- At least one walk a day, and no more than six dogs walked at once, with the owners' consent. The higher standard is two walks of at least 20 minutes.
- Crates only if they're part of the dog's normal routine, with the owner's consent, and for no more than three hours in any 24.
- Dogs wear an ID tag with your details when they're out.
- If anyone under 16 lives with you, you need written procedures for keeping children and dogs safe.
- Resident cats are not recommended.
Records
Home boarders keep the same register as kennels: each dog's details, microchip, owner and local emergency contacts, vet and insurance, medical and behavioural history, diet, consent forms, vaccination, worming and flea treatment dates and any treatment given. Records must be kept for three years and electronic records backed up. You also need an enrichment and exercise plan agreed with each owner. Dogs must be vaccinated against parvovirus, distemper, infectious hepatitis and leptospirosis, with primary courses finished at least two weeks before the stay.
Star ratings and licence length
In England, your licence comes with a star rating that decides how long it lasts: one, two or three years. A new home boarder is treated as higher risk for the first year, so the best first licence is four stars and two years. Meeting the higher standards listed above, and keeping complete records, is the way to a five-star, three-year licence, which also means fewer renewal fees.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
In Scotland, councils license home boarding under the Animal Boarding Establishments Act 1963. Falkirk, for example, defines it as boarding dogs or cats that aren't yours, in your home, for any form of payment. Licences run to the end of the year and conditions are set locally. In Wales, the same Act applies and gov.uk says you need a licence even for a small number of animals in your own home. In Northern Ireland, boarding establishments are licensed by DAERA, and we couldn't confirm how it treats home boarding, so ask DAERA directly.
What it costs
| Council | Home boarding fee |
|---|---|
| Test Valley (2026/27) | £262 |
| Hart (2026/27, under 20 animals) | £318 |
| Elmbridge (from April 2026) | £432 new, £380 renewal |
| Dover (2025/26) | £250 on application plus £120 to £265 on grant, by star rating |
| Sevenoaks | £728 new, plus vet fees |
| Vale of Glamorgan (Wales) | £167, plus vet costs |
| Falkirk (Scotland) | £210 new, £105 renewal |
More examples, and how star ratings change the yearly cost, are in our licence cost guide.
Applying
- Check planning, your mortgage or tenancy, and your home insurance before anything else.
- Read your council's home boarding conditions and application form.
- Sort out rooms, barriers, detectors and the garden.
- Write your emergency plan and procedures, and set up your consent forms and records.
- Apply and pay. Councils aim to decide within 10 weeks, after an inspection.
- Once licensed, show your licence number and the licence holder's name on your website.
For the business side (insurance, pricing and what home boarding can earn), read can I run a dog boarding business from home?
How KennelBooker helps home boarders
Set your capacity in KennelBooker to the maximum on your licence and the online booking portal stops taking bookings when you're full. Owners sign your consent forms and terms online, upload vaccination certificates and fill in your questionnaire before the stay, and expired vaccinations are flagged at booking and check-in. Feeding, medication and walks can be logged against each stay, so the register and care records your inspector asks for are kept as you go. More on our AAL 2018 and GDPR page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licence to board dogs at home?
In England, yes, if you do it as a business. Home boarding is one of the licensable activities under the 2018 regulations. Someone whose trading income is below HMRC's trading income allowance doesn't need a licence. In Wales, gov.uk says you need a licence even for a small number of animals in your own home, and Scottish councils license home boarding under the 1963 Act.
How many dogs can I home board?
There's no national maximum in England. Your licence states the maximum, which the council sets based on your home, garden and staffing, and your own dogs count towards it. The minimum staffing ratio is one person to ten dogs.
Can I home board in a flat?
Usually not in England. The conditions require direct access to a private, non-communal, secure outdoor area, and a balcony doesn't count. A flat with its own private, secure garden may qualify.
Can I board dogs from different households together?
Yes, but only with written consent from every owner and a documented trial session, including with any dogs that live with you. To meet the higher standard, stays of more than three nights need an overnight trial first.
How much is a home boarding licence?
Councils set their own fees. Examples include £262 at Test Valley (2026/27), £432 for a new licence at Elmbridge, £167 at Vale of Glamorgan in Wales and £210 at Falkirk in Scotland.