A 5-star rating means a 3-year licence. Here is exactly what you need to achieve it.
Check your gap analysis freeUnder the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, your star rating determines how long your licence runs and how often you are inspected.
DEFRA divides the conditions into two categories. Every licensed premises must meet the required standards. To achieve 4 or 5 stars you must also meet a proportion of the higher standards.
Required standards cover the basics — proper documentation, safe accommodation, disease control, adequate staffing. Higher standards cover things like CCTV, separate isolation facilities, enrichment programmes, staff qualifications and specific record-keeping.
These are the most commonly missed higher standards that drop premises from 5 to 4 stars:
StarReady generates all 10 required DEFRA documents tailored to your premises. The Pro gap analysis then checks each document against every required and optional higher standard and shows you exactly what content is missing.
Instead of guessing what your inspector wants to see, you get a clear list of what to add to each document to close the gap between your current rating and 5 stars.
Start free trial and run your gap analysisFirst-time applicants cannot receive a 5-star rating on their initial inspection under LAIA 2018. The maximum for a first application is 4 stars. A 5-star rating is only available on renewal once you have demonstrated ongoing compliance. See our first application guide for more information.