In The Dog House: Pet Facilities Are The New Luxury Must-Have For Prospective Buyers

Saunas, cinemas, snow rooms – these days luxury developments need to have them all to stand-out from the multi-storeyed crowd. But whilst London’s wellness residences introduce every new fangled, age-freezing device available to draw-in a moneyed clientele, there’s a more simple wellbeing booster that many new-builds are forgetting: our pets.

Living in London in particular, it can be hard to find a home where pets are welcome. Only 8 percent of rental properties in the UK are explicitly advertised as pet-friendly, and only 46 percent of landlords say that they would potentially consider pets upon request, with a further 33 percent stating that nothing would ever persuade them to allow pets in their properties.

Unfortunately for them, having a strict no-pet policy increasingly looks like a money-loser in our pet-obsessed world. Birth rates in the UK have been falling steadily since 2010. In 2025 there were just 585,000 live births in the UK, a fall of 10,000 on the year before and the lowest overall figure since 1977. But we’re not leaving our nests empty. While the number of children in the UK declines, the number of pets is on the up. In the past decade alone, the percentage of the UK population who own pets has risen by almost a fifth – up from 40 percent in 2016 to 62 percent today. As of 2026, the UK is home to roughly 29 million pets compared to just 15 million children.

Traditionally, the houses people purchase revolve around the families they want to make. Content with just you and your partner? Save your cash and rent out a studio. Trying for children? You’ll need to expand. But as we have less children and later, it’s not only our hypothetical brood that determines where we choose to settle down, but our fur babies too.

Rajeev and his dog Donut at Grand Union

And it seems developers are finally catching on. ‘We are seeing residents increasingly prioritise their pets in much the same way families prioritise school catchments when choosing where to live,’ says Denny Lane, residential general manager at Thames City. ‘For many, pets are not an added consideration but an integral part of family life, and that mindset is now strongly influencing residential decisions in the prime market […] In many cases, choosing the right home for a pet is just as important as choosing the right home for a child.’

Like Thames City, many of Berkeley‘s developments – which include the Grand Union in Wembley, The Green Quarter in Southall and London Dock in Wapping – centre pets at the heart of their plans. As Pascal – owner of a Coton de Tulear named Beans – tells us, ‘One of my priorities was to buy a home that was nearby to some nice walks and had enough space for us to live comfortably together.’ Now living in London Dock, Wapping, allows Pascal to take Beans on riverside walks throughout the capital during lunch breaks.

For Rajeev and his five-year-old dog named Donut it’s a similar story. ‘We researched which cities were most pet-friendly, and London came out on top,’ says Rajeev. Today he lives at Grand Union, enjoying the ‘easy access to green space and canal side walking routes’.

Meet Georgie, the Grand Union’s adopted cat

But it’s not just nice walking routes that developments are offering these days. The launch of Orien – part of Berkeley’s Green Quarter – will coincide with the opening of a dedicated on-site dog grooming suite. And they won’t be the only pampered pooches. Residents at Sutton Garden Square (the newest addition to Berkeley’s portfolio) will gain exclusive access to a pet spa – the perfect spot for cleaning mucky pups after a walk in the surrounding parks.

Elsewhere, at London Dock, Berkeley has introduced Woofstock – a dedicated dog show and social gathering for residents, as well as a new pet care and lifestyle store, called Dogeast. Like London Dock, Grand Union also boasts a pet-focused convenience store on-site by the name of EGGY Mart, plus of course Georgie – the building’s adopted cat.

The Whiteley

And Berkeley aren’t the only ones prioritising pets in their properties. ‘Pets are increasingly influencing the decisions people make about where and how they live,’ says Valouran partner Charles Leigh. Located in Bayswater, The Whiteley is one of London’s buzziest new developments. And while it boasts a gym, sauna and steam room, the pet facilities are just as big a pull for prospective buyers. As Charles says, for many residents ‘pets are an integral part of the family’ – and something that require careful consideration.

Located just a stone’s throw from Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, this 600 acres of green space is an automatic tick for anybody dreading the daily dog walk. On-site, the concierge is on-hand to arrange à la carte pet-care services whenever needed, including grooming and walking. And if that’s not enough, The Whiteley is soon set to welcome Furmily among its tenants – a London pet lifestyle brand selling premium natural pet food and offering professional pet spas. ‘Together, these services give residents the flexibility and support to make living in central London with a pet as straightforward – and pampering – as possible,’ says Charles. 

The story’s the same across the pond, too. While no other nation is quite as dog-mad as us Brits, even some American developments have begun incorporating pet facilities into their homes – namely, 700 Broadway in Santa Monica. As executive vice president of design, Phoebe Yee says: ‘We’re very pet friendly’. There’s a ‘Wooftop’ dog run and pet spa on site, and residents are encouraged to bring their dogs to ‘Yappy Hours’ in the building’s gardens.

Thames City © Francesco Russo

Though dog parks and pet spas are certainly something to yap about, for many it’s the community that’s most key. ‘There’s a large group chat for residents with dogs at Thames City, which makes it easy to organise walks and let the dogs play together,’ says Chili of their miniature schnauzer Nuts. Thames City is home to approximately 15 cats and 25 dogs, with pets permitted across several communal spaces, including the bar, lounge and sky bar, while dogs can even be treated to private bookings at the cinema and dining rooms. Each pet is welcomed with treats on move-in days and there’s a refreshment station available for them.

‘It’s great for both Nuts and me to socialise,’ adds Chili. ‘It also means there’s usually someone around who can help look after him if I’m away, which is a big plus.’ The staff, says Chili, are particularly friendly with Nuts, asking after him and adding to the sense of community.

As Chili touches on, it’s not just pooches who benefit from this community feel, but their owners too. ‘Dogs naturally bring people together, whether through shared walks or informal conversations, and that sense of connection adds real value,’ explains Denny Lane. ‘When dogs are welcomed as residents in their own right, not treated as an afterthought, the building feels warmer, more human and ultimately more reflective of how people want to live today.’