Peaceful Home in Chapel Allerton, Leeds

This is a character family home on a quiet cul-de-sac in Chapel Allerton, three miles north of Leeds city centre, and dogs are part of the picture rather than an afterthought. The house sits among Art Deco neighbours on a street with almost no through traffic, and there are small gardens front and back plus a sunny terrace where a dog can potter about safely while you sit outside.

Dogs are allowed by prior arrangement rather than automatically, and there is a £30 charge for the stay. That approval step is worth planning around: this is not a property to book at short notice with a dog already in the car. In practice the arrangement works well, with dog owners staying a week at a time and rating the house at the top of the scale.

The interior is the other reason it suits dogs. It is a properly lived-in home, with original furniture, a wood burner and a lot of houseplants, and shoes come off at the door, which keeps the floors in better shape than most rentals manage. Chapel Allerton is a good dog-walking neighbourhood in its own right, with quiet residential streets, a supermarket a short walk away and a run of independent bars, cafés and restaurants within strolling distance. Buses into the centre stop seven or eight minutes away.

Two caveats. The driveway and the street are tight, so take the manoeuvring slowly. And the house is comfortable rather than pristine, with guests mentioning a garden that needed tidying and some tired houseplants. With a 4.7/5 paw rating, it suits dog owners who would rather have a quiet residential base with a garden than a city-centre flat.