Home boarding inspection checklist: what inspectors look for

Before your council grants a home boarding licence, an inspector visits your home to check it against the licence conditions. Knowing what they look at makes the visit far less daunting. Here is what to expect, and how to be ready.

Who carries out the inspection

Depending on the council, the inspection may be done by an appointed inspector, a dog warden, an environmental health officer or a member of the licensing team. Some councils involve a vet, particularly for kennels and catteries.

The areas they check

The inspector looks at every area the dogs will use and how you run things day to day:

• Sleeping and rest areas, and where a dog can be kept separate or hide.
• The garden and any outside space, fencing and security against escape.
• Food storage and preparation, and hand-washing.
• How you handle waste, cleaning and disinfection.
• Heating, ventilation and fire safety.

The questions they ask

Expect practical questions: how you would handle an emergency such as a fire or a sick dog, how you separate dogs that do not get on, how many dogs you take and your staffing, and how you keep the dogs’ routines and welfare. Your written procedures should answer all of these.

The records and documents they want to see

Inspectors check that your paperwork is in place and used: your written procedures and emergency plan, risk assessments, the vaccination and vet arrangements, and your booking, consent and daily records. Accurate, up-to-date records on the dogs in your care are a recurring focus.

How to be ready

The single best preparation is a complete, well-organised document pack with each item mapped to its licence condition, so the inspector can tick straight through. Many councils publish their own pre-inspection checklist, which is worth requesting. PetApproved produces the full written pack for you, and includes a submission checklist of everything to have ready, including the items only you can supply such as your premises plan and insurance.