Thanks to the Coronavirus pandemic, people across the country have been urgently reviewing their living situations. Interest in village homes from city-dwellers skyrocketed by 126% in June and July 2020 and garden space became one of the most sought-after amenities after months of being stuck indoors.
In addition, pet ownership has seen a considerable rise thanks to the lockdown, with searches for ‘buy a puppy’ rising by around 150% during the first lockdown. The pandemic has allowed us to take stock of what matters most, and many people chose the love of a four-legged friend.
With so many people opting to WFH outside of the city, we decided to find out the best places to live with your dog outside of the capital.
Ranked on the number of pet-welcoming rental properties, green spaces and dog-friendly pubs, we’ve identified the pet-friendliest commuter towns to consider for your next move.
Top 10 Pet-friendly Commuter Towns
With the most pet-friendly pubs and the most local green spaces, Reading was ranked the best place for pet owners to rent. Watford has the second most pet-friendly pubs, earning it second place, while Maidenhead took third place with the highest percentage of pet-friendly rental properties.
1. Reading
2. Watford
3. Maidenheaad
4. Woking
5. High Wycombe
6. Chorleywood
7. Hitchin
8. Stevenage
9. Gravesend
10. Esher
10 Worst Commuter Towns for Pet Owners
With no pet-friendly pubs or green spaces to call its own, Shenfield ranked the worst for pet owners. less than 1% of properties in Waltham Cross and Gerrard’s Cross welcomed animals, placing them at the bottom of our rankings.
22. Shenfield
21. Waltham Cross
20. Gerrard’s Cross
19. Cheshunt
18. Walton-on-Thames
17. Hemel Hempstead
16. Hatfield
15. Bushey
14. Potters Bar
13. Beaconsfield
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Methodology
Commuter towns were identified as towns within a 30 minute commute time using Totally Money’s Commuter Hotspot tool. Rental data was taken from Zoopla, pet-friendly pubs from DoggiePubs and green spaces from TripAdvisor.
Towns which had the same average ranking were then ordered by the number of pet-welcoming rental properties available.