Terms and Conditions

Last updated: 18/03/2026

1. Introduction

Welcome to BuyAPet.co.uk – the UK pet marketplace. These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) explain the rules for using our website and services. By creating an account, posting an advert, contacting another user, or otherwise using BuyAPet.co.uk (the “Site”), you agree to these Terms.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use the Site. For any questions, contact us at info@buyapet.co.uk.

2. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms at any time. Any changes take effect when published on this page. You are responsible for checking this page regularly. Continued use of BuyAPet.co.uk after any changes are published means you accept the updated Terms.

3. Who We Are

BuyAPet.co.uk is a UK online pet marketplace where users can advertise, buy, sell, and rehome pets. We are not a party to transactions between users and we do not routinely vet advertisers, buyers, sellers, or animals listed on the Site.

4. Eligibility and Accounts

• You must be 18 years old or over to use BuyAPet.co.uk.
• You may only hold one account. Duplicate, shared, or transferred accounts are not allowed.
• BuyAPet.co.uk is a UK-only website. Accounts and adverts must relate to users and animals located in the United Kingdom. Non-UK activity may result in suspension or termination without refund.
• You must provide accurate, current, and complete information when registering and using your account.
• We may ask you to verify your identity, address, or other account details at any time.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login details and for all activity carried out under your account.
• We may suspend, restrict, or terminate your account at our discretion where we believe this is necessary to protect the Site, users, or animals.

5. Your Responsibilities

• You must use the Site lawfully, honestly, and respectfully.
• You must not use VPNs, false identities, fake names, or false locations. Doing so may result in a permanent ban without refund.
• You must not hack, scrape, spam, interfere with, or attempt to bypass any security or moderation systems on the Site.
• You must not copy, reproduce, reverse engineer, imitate, or exploit any part of the Site, its content, layout, or functionality without our prior written permission.
• You must not use offensive usernames, impersonate any person or organisation, or otherwise mislead users.
• You must comply with all applicable UK animal welfare, breeding, sale, transport, consumer protection, and licensing laws.

6. Prohibited Content

• You must not post, upload, send, or otherwise make available any content that is illegal, misleading, fraudulent, deceptive, or inaccurate.
• You must not post content that promotes animal cruelty, illegal breeding, unlawful sales, or any breach of animal welfare law.
• You must not post abusive, threatening, defamatory, obscene, discriminatory, or hateful content.
• You must not post duplicate adverts, spam content, misleading listings, or content designed to manipulate search visibility or user trust.
• You must not attempt to evade moderation, enforcement action, account restrictions, or advert removal.

We reserve the right to remove, edit, refuse, restrict, or disable any advert, account, message, or other content at our sole discretion and without notice where we believe it breaches these Terms, may harm users or animals, or may damage the reputation or operation of BuyAPet.co.uk.

7. Communications, Payments and Safety

• All communications, including by email, telephone, live chat, or messaging, are undertaken at your own risk.
• You must view the pet in person before sending money or making any commitment.
• BuyAPet.co.uk cannot recover lost funds and cannot disclose another user’s personal data except where legally required.
• If you open links sent via messages or email, you do so at your own risk.
• For safety, you should use our internal messaging system where available.
• We may monitor, filter, review, block, or restrict messages and communications for safety, fraud prevention, moderation, and enforcement of these Terms.

8. Advertising Rules (General)

• You may only advertise pets that you own, unless the advert clearly states that it is posted on behalf of a registered UK charity or rescue organisation.
• All adverts must be accurate, clear, lawful, and placed in the correct category.
• Pets must meet the following minimum ages before being advertised for sale or rehoming:
  • Dogs, cats, rabbits, and ferrets: 8 weeks or older
  • Chinchillas: 12 weeks or older
  • Foals: 6 months or older
• Litter adverts must include a photograph of the litter together with their mother.
• All pets advertised must be physically located in the United Kingdom.
• Imported pets under 6 months old must not be advertised. Imported pets aged 6 months or over must clearly state their country of origin.
• Pregnant pets must not be advertised.
• Swaps, gifts, trades, barters, or exchanges for goods or services are not allowed.
• No courier, third-party transport, or delivery-only arrangements are permitted. Pets must be collected in person from the home or premises where the pet is ordinarily kept and, where applicable, where the mother lives.
• Large-scale commercial breeding operations are not permitted on the Site, even if licensed.
• Both advertisers and responding buyers must be 18 years old or over.

9. Dogs and Cats – Specific Rules

• Dogs must be microchipped from 8 weeks old where required by law.
• Rescue pets imported from abroad may only be advertised by UK-registered charities or rescue organisations, and only where the animal is already in the UK with full lawful documentation.
• Puppies and kittens must be shown with their mother, and with the father where possible. One litter must be advertised in one advert only.
• Adverts must not use misleading or exaggerated terminology such as “Teacup”, “Micro”, “Big-Rope”, or “Designer”, unless referring to a genuinely recognised miniature pedigree breed and the wording is factually accurate.
• No banned breeds or prohibited types, including crossbreeds or types falling within UK legal restrictions, may be advertised. This includes, without limitation: Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, and XL Bully.
• No cropped-ear dogs may be advertised.
• No stud or mating adverts may be posted for pets under 12 months old.
• Pets must not be advertised purely for breeding purposes.
• No double dapple or double merle dogs may be advertised.
• If a dog or cat is registered with an organisation such as the Kennel Club or GCCF, this must be stated accurately and supported by documentation where requested.

10. Other Animals – Specific Rules

• No vertebrate animals may be advertised as food.
• Any CITES Annex A species must include a valid and lawful Article 10 certificate.
• Primates must not be advertised.
• No wild-caught animals may be advertised.
• No animals requiring licensing or restriction under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act may be advertised.
• No adverts may be posted for Anacondas, Burmese Pythons, Reticulated Pythons, African Rock Pythons, Spider Morphs, or Enigma Morphs.
• Horses must be microchipped and accompanied by a valid passport where required by law.
• Any riders shown in horse photographs must be wearing appropriate safety equipment.

11. Breeding and Licences

• Where you are acting as a breeder, you must state this clearly in your advert.
• We may report suspected unlawful breeding, trading, or licensing breaches to relevant local authorities, animal welfare bodies, or enforcement agencies.
• Pet shop licence holders may only advertise puppies or kittens where they bred the animals in the UK and hold all necessary valid licences and permissions.
• In Scotland, breeding 3 or more litters of kittens per year may require a Scottish cat breeder licence. It is your responsibility to ensure compliance with all local legal requirements applicable to your area.

12. Content and Intellectual Property

All intellectual property rights in the Site, including text, branding, logos, graphics, design, layout, and software, are owned by us or our licensors and are protected by law.

By uploading or submitting any content to the Site, including photographs, videos, descriptions, and messages, you grant BuyAPet.co.uk a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to host, use, reproduce, display, adapt, and publish that content for the purpose of operating, promoting, and improving the Site and our services.

You confirm that you own the content you upload, or that you otherwise have all necessary rights and permissions to use and licence it to us.

13. Data Protection and Privacy

We process personal data in accordance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. For more information about how we collect, use, store, and protect personal data, please see our Privacy Policy.

14. Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies to improve website functionality, performance, security, and user experience. By using BuyAPet.co.uk, you acknowledge our use of cookies as described in our Privacy Policy and any cookie notice or cookie settings tools made available on the Site.

15. Messaging and Advertiser Responsibility

• We do not independently verify advertiser claims, animal descriptions, health statements, or documentation. You must carry out your own checks before entering into any transaction.
• You should always view pets in person before paying any deposit or full payment.
• You should never send deposits or payments online without first meeting the seller and satisfying yourself that the advert and animal are genuine.
• Misuse of messaging systems, including spam, scams, abuse, harassment, or attempts to move users off-platform for suspicious purposes, may result in suspension or termination of your account.

16. Payments and Refunds

• Unless stated otherwise, payments made for adverts and related services are non-refundable.
• No refund will usually be given where:
  • your advert receives no responses;
  • you change your mind;
  • you breach these Terms;
  • your account or advert is restricted due to your conduct;
  • temporary downtime, maintenance, or interruption affects the Site.
• A refund may be considered only where we fail to provide the paid service due to a technical fault directly caused by us, for example where a paid advert is not published because of a system error.
• As a marketplace, BuyAPet.co.uk is not responsible for contracts, payments, disputes, or transactions between users. Any rights or remedies arising under consumer law, including the Consumer Rights Act 2015, will generally apply between the buyer and the seller where relevant.

17. Availability

We do not guarantee that the Site, or any part of it, will always be available, uninterrupted, secure, or error-free. We may suspend, withdraw, discontinue, or change all or any part of the Site at any time without notice.

18. Disclaimers

BuyAPet.co.uk is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. Any guidance, articles, or information on the Site is for general information only and does not amount to veterinary, legal, financial, or professional advice. You should obtain independent advice where appropriate.

We are not responsible for any loss of data, damage to devices, malware, service interruption, or other technical issues arising from use of the Site, third-party links, or user-generated content, except where required by law.

19. Limitation of Liability

• We are not liable for any losses arising from scams, fraudulent listings, user misconduct, failed transactions, third-party links, or reliance on content posted by other users.
• To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total liability to you for direct losses arising out of or in connection with your use of the Site shall not exceed the greater of:
  • the total amount paid by you to us in the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim; or
  • £100.
• We are not liable for any indirect or consequential loss, including loss of profit, loss of opportunity, loss of goodwill, loss of anticipated savings, or business interruption.
• Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

20. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless BuyAPet.co.uk, its owners, operators, employees, contractors, and agents from and against any claims, actions, liabilities, losses, damages, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with your use of the Site, your adverts, your content, your dealings with other users, or your breach of these Terms or applicable law.

21. Force Majeure

We are not liable for any failure or delay in performing our obligations under these Terms where that failure or delay results from events beyond our reasonable control, including technical failures, internet outages, cyber attacks, acts of government, natural disasters, fire, flood, epidemic, pandemic, industrial disputes, or interruption of utilities or telecommunications services.

22. Links to Other Websites

The Site may contain links to external websites or services operated by third parties. We do not control those websites and are not responsible for their content, availability, security, or terms. You should read their terms and privacy policies before using them.

23. Complaints

If you have a complaint about the Site or a user, please contact us with full details at info@buyapet.co.uk. We will investigate complaints and take such action as we consider reasonable in the circumstances. However, we cannot guarantee any particular outcome or resolution of disputes between users.

24. Account Suspension and Termination

We may suspend, restrict, or terminate your account or access to the Site at any time, with or without notice, where we believe you have breached these Terms, acted unlawfully, created risk to users or animals, or otherwise harmed the Site or its reputation.

Refunds will not be provided where your account is suspended or terminated due to your breach of these Terms. On account closure or termination, adverts, messages, images, and other content may be removed or permanently deleted, subject to any legal or operational retention requirements.

25. User-Initiated Account Closure

You may close your account at any time through your user dashboard. To do this, go to Account Settings, select Close Account, and confirm when prompted. Once confirmed, your account and any associated adverts may be closed immediately.

Closing your account will deactivate active listings and remove your access to the dashboard. We may retain certain information where required by law or where reasonably necessary for legitimate business purposes, including fraud prevention, dispute handling, enforcement, and financial record-keeping.

26. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them, their subject matter, or their formation shall be governed by the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction, unless applicable consumer law provides otherwise.

27. Definitions

• Account: your registered user profile on BuyAPet.co.uk.
• Advert: any listing or advertisement posted on the Site.
• Content: any text, image, video, message, document, or other material uploaded, submitted, or shared on the Site.
• User: any individual, business, charity, rescue, breeder, buyer, seller, or visitor using the Site.
• We, Us, Our: BuyAPet.co.uk.
• Site: the website, platform, and related services operated under BuyAPet.co.uk.

28. Linking, Frames and Comments

• Certain organisations, such as government agencies, search engines, and news organisations, may link to the Site without prior written approval where lawful and fair.
• All other organisations or individuals wishing to link to the Site should request permission by emailing info@buyapet.co.uk.
• Any link to the Site must not be deceptive, misleading, defamatory, or imply any endorsement, approval, or association where none exists.
• You must not use our logo, branding, artwork, or other intellectual property for linking purposes without our prior written permission.
• You must not frame the Site or use iframes or similar technology in a way that alters the visual presentation, appearance, or reputation of BuyAPet.co.uk.
• We are not responsible for any content appearing on websites that link to our Site.
• If your website or platform hosts comments or user-generated content about BuyAPet.co.uk, you are responsible for ensuring that such content is lawful, non-defamatory, and does not infringe any third-party rights.

29. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with any policies expressly referred to within them, constitute the entire agreement between you and BuyAPet.co.uk in relation to your use of the Site and supersede any previous agreements, understandings, or representations relating to that use.

30. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found by a court or competent authority to be unlawful, invalid, or unenforceable, that provision shall be deemed severed and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.