- Home
- Compare options
- Kennels vs home boarding: what the licence actually tells you
Kennels vs home boarding: what the licence actually tells you
Both are licensed and star-rated under the same regulations, but they are inspected against different standards and suit different animals.
Same regime, different standards
Boarding kennels and home boarding are both licensable activities under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018. Both need a local authority licence, both are inspected, and both carry a 1–5 star rating.
They are assessed against different guidance though, because they are different propositions. Kennels are a commercial premises housing many animals in purpose-built accommodation. Home boarding is someone taking a small number of dogs into their own house, living alongside them.
What each does well
Kennels have staff on site, purpose-built and cleanable facilities, and capacity — you can usually get a place at shorter notice, even in August. Larger operations often have veterinary arrangements in place. The trade-off is that it is a kennel environment: more dogs, more noise, less individual attention.
Home boarding gives a dog something much closer to a normal domestic routine, usually with only one or two other dogs present. For an anxious or elderly dog that is a significant difference. The trade-offs are capacity — a home boarder might take two dogs, so peak dates go early — and variability, since you are placing your animal in a private home rather than a standardised facility.
Reading the star rating properly
This is where most people go wrong. The rating combines a risk score with a compliance assessment, and it is not a customer satisfaction measure.
The practical consequences are counter-intuitive:
- A new business cannot normally get 5 stars however good it is, because part of the score reflects trading history.
- A 2- or 3-star operator is still fully compliant with the law. The rating distinguishes "meets the standards" from "exceeds them", not "safe" from "unsafe".
- A higher star rating buys a longer licence period — 3 years at 5 stars, down to 1 year at the bottom — which is why councils take it seriously.
- Operators keeping or training animals for exhibition are not star-rated at all.
So the rating is a good floor to filter on and a poor ranking to choose from. Use it to exclude, then visit.
What to actually check
The licence tells you a premises was inspected. It does not tell you whether it suits your dog. Ask to see where the dogs sleep, how many will be there during your dates, what the routine is, and what happens if your dog does not settle. A good operator of either kind will expect those questions.
Check the register for your area to confirm the licence is current — an expired licence is often just slow paperwork, but it is worth asking about.
Last reviewed 1 August 2026.