StarReady generates your full DEFRA-compliant policy and procedure pack for kennels and catteries — tailored to your premises, validated against inspection standards, ready to hand to your licensing officer.
Every licensed kennel and cattery must have a full set of written policies and procedures ready for inspection — tailored to their specific premises, activities, and setup. Most operators are working from generic Word templates, out-of-date paperwork, or nothing at all.
Trade body templates are a starting point — but inspectors need documents that reflect your actual premises, your activities, and your specific setup. A Word doc with blanks doesn't demonstrate compliance.
Missing or inadequate documentation is the most common reason for a low star rating. A 1-star rating means annual inspections and a 1-year licence. A 5-star means 3 years. That's a real cost difference.
DEFRA updates its statutory guidance regularly. Most operators don't know when a change affects their documents. Your pack goes stale without you realising — until an inspector flags it.
Following a complaint or a licence condition, the council can inspect at any time without notice. If your documents aren't current and accessible when they arrive, there's no warning and no grace period.
Your star rating determines your licence term and inspection frequency. Better paperwork = longer licence = lower fees. StarReady pays for itself in year one if it moves you up even one band.
Every update is a potential compliance gap. If your documents were written once and never touched, some of them may already be out of date.
An outdated document found during inspection is treated as a compliance failure — even if it was accurate when you wrote it. DEFRA expects written procedures to be reviewed regularly and kept current. StarReady handles that automatically.
8 questions covering: activity type, whether this is a new application or renewal, business name, vet practice, number of units, isolation facility location, CCTV or in-person monitoring (including check interval if no CCTV), and staffing level. Every answer feeds directly into your documents — specific rooms, specific intervals, specific contacts. Not placeholders.
StarReady produces 10 tailored, named, dated documents. Every document references your specific premises — evacuation routes, kennel block numbers, isolation building location, vet contact details. Not "animals will be evacuated to [insert location]" — your actual location.
We don't just check that a document exists. We check that it contains the specific elements DEFRA requires — disinfectant concentration references, named evacuation points, out-of-hours check intervals, staff competency sign-off frequency. Documents get green, amber, or red status based on what's actually inside them.
Every required and optional higher standard is checked against your documents. Green means covered. Amber means partially compliant — exists but missing specific elements. Red means absent. Generate any missing addition in one click.
Reminders go out at 12, 8, and 4 weeks before expiry. Once you've submitted your renewal application, mark it as submitted — the reminders stop and your dashboard shows your renewal as in progress. No more confusion about whether you've already acted.
When DEFRA updates its guidance and you regenerate an affected document, we first ask you to confirm your setup details are still current. Then we show you exactly what changed — highlighted paragraphs, side by side with the previous version — so you know precisely what's different before you sign it off.
Generic Word templates with blank fields are not the same as a properly tailored, dated, premises-specific policy document. Here's the difference.
This emergency plan has been prepared for
In the event of fire, staff should and contact
The named veterinary practice is
Animals will be evacuated to
This document was prepared on and will be reviewed on
[Insert details of heating system failure procedure]
[Insert out of hours contact details]
Oakfield Dog Boarding & Cattery | Prepared: 27 April 2025 | Review due: 27 April 2026
1. Fire Emergency Procedure
On discovering fire, staff must immediately alert all other persons on site using the alarm at the main kennel entrance. All dogs must be moved from kennels 1–12 to the emergency holding area in the rear paddock. Westfield Veterinary Surgery (01904 555 123) must be contacted if any animal is injured. The fire assembly point is the car park adjacent to the main gate.
Your inspector won't just check that a document exists. They'll ask what your disinfectant contact time is. Whether your isolation procedure covers off-site arrangements. When you last reviewed your disease control policy.
StarReady's Compliance Assistant knows every DEFRA condition inside out. Pick a question below and see it answer in seconds.
Answer up to 8 questions — activity type, new or renewal application, business name, vet, number of units, isolation facility, CCTV coverage, and staffing. If you have no CCTV, the wizard asks one follow-up: your out-of-hours check interval. That specific interval goes directly into your monitoring procedure — because "regular checks" isn't enough for DEFRA.
Every answer feeds into the document. The result references your actual premises, your actual isolation location, your actual monitoring method — not a generic template with blanks.
Generated and tailored to your specific premises, activities, and setup. Every document is mapped to the DEFRA condition it satisfies.
Fire, heating failure, power loss — specific to your premises layout and isolation facilities
Schedule 2 — Condition 10.1Daily, between-animal, and deep clean protocols with disinfectant product, concentration, and contact time
Dog Kennels — Condition 5.5 · Cat Boarding — Condition 4.4Infection prevention, sick animal escalation, isolation facility confirmation and protocols
Schedule 2 — Condition 6.1 · Condition 6.2Induction checklist, ongoing competency records, OFQUAL Level 3 evidence, supervision sign-off and review schedule
Schedule 2 — Condition 2.1 · Higher standards sectionCovering all mandatory welfare conditions under LAIA 2018 for your licensed activities
Schedule 2 — Conditions 1.1–1.6CCTV or in-person check schedule with specific interval documented — "regular checks" is not sufficient for DEFRA
Dog Kennels — Condition 7.6 · Higher standards sectionDaily record format covering all conditions per activity — available for review on inspection day
Schedule 2 — Condition 3.2 · Condition 3.3Arrivals, departures, owner details, vet contacts, vaccination history, medication records, and microchip numbers
Schedule 2 — Condition 3.1 (updated 2024)Monitoring protocols, authorised contractor details, response and recording requirements
Schedule 2 — Condition 8.1Received, administered, stored, and disposed — with owner consent and vet instruction fields
Schedule 2 — Condition 4.1 · Condition 4.2Every document is validated against DEFRA's statutory guidance condition by condition. We don't just check that a document exists — we check that it contains the specific elements required: disinfectant concentrations, named evacuation points, out-of-hours check intervals, and more. Documents get green (fully compliant), amber (exists but missing specific elements), or red (absent) status. The star rating gap analysis shows you exactly what's missing and generates it on demand.
We monitor the GOV.UK statutory guidance pages for every LAIA 2018 activity automatically. When DEFRA updates a condition, you get an alert showing exactly what changed, which of your documents is affected, and a one-click path to fix it.
StarReady watches the GOV.UK statutory guidance pages for all LAIA 2018 activities — kennel boarding, cat boarding, home boarding, dog daycare, and dog breeding — checking for content changes, date updates, and new conditions.
When a change is detected, StarReady identifies which document types are affected and cross-references against your specific document pack. Only documents relevant to your licensed activities are flagged — you don't see noise about activities you don't hold.
Your alert shows the old condition wording alongside the new one, highlighted. You see exactly what DEFRA changed before deciding whether to regenerate. No wading through PDFs or GOV.UK pages.
Before regenerating, we ask you to confirm your premises details are still current. Then the updated document is generated, the version history is timestamped with "DEFRA guidance update" as the trigger, and your pack is current again.
Procedures must be in place to make sure housing is cleaned regularly using products effective against canine parvovirus at the manufacturer's recommended concentration, with a minimum contact time of 10 minutes documented.
The register must include the microchip number of each animal where microchipping is a legal requirement for that species in addition to existing fields.
Clarification added that the 1.2 metre corridor width requirement applies to the clear passable width between facing units, not including door frames. Your cattery meets this standard. No document update required.
An outdated document found at inspection is treated as a compliance failure even if it was correct when you wrote it. DEFRA has updated its statutory guidance 11 times since 2018. StarReady's policy monitor means you never find out about a change from your inspector — you find out from us, with time to fix it.
Under the LAIA 2018 regulations, your star rating directly determines how long your licence runs and how often you're inspected. The difference between a 3-year licence and a 1-year licence is real money — and it comes down to paperwork.
StarReady's gap analysis shows you exactly what's needed to move up, then generates those documents for you. Most operators can reach 4 or 5 stars by addressing documentation alone, without any physical changes to their premises.
A typical kennel licence costs £350–700 per year. A 5-star rating earns a 3-year licence. At the minimum, that's a saving of £700 in licence fees alone — before counting the time and disruption of annual inspections. StarReady costs £540 over three years. It pays for itself.
DEFRA and local authorities do not specify how documents must be created — only what they must contain. Your documents are assessed on whether they cover the required conditions, not how they were written. StarReady generates documents that cover every mandatory condition under LAIA 2018. You review and sign them off as the licence holder before your inspection, exactly as you would with any other documentation. Your inspector cares that your documents are complete, current, and premises-specific. StarReady ensures all three.
Every operator spends time on licence paperwork. StarReady gives that time back.
Time saving estimate based on 15-minute initial setup vs typical hours of research, plus one-click renewal updates vs manual document review. Does not include time saved from guidance change alerts or inspection prep.
The gap analysis is the core of the Pro plan. It shows you every required and optional higher standard under DEFRA's guidance — what you currently cover, what you don't, and what you need to add to move up a rating band.
Most operators can reach 4 or 5 stars through documentation alone. The gap analysis makes that path clear and generates the missing content on demand.
To achieve a higher rating, businesses must meet all required higher standards and at least 50% of optional higher standards. StarReady shows you both — and generates them for you.
Cancel any time. No long contracts. Your documents are yours to keep.
Complete setup in 15 minutes. Documents ready immediately.
Complete setup in 15 minutes. Documents ready immediately.
Complete setup in 15 minutes. Documents ready immediately.
A compliance consultant charges £400+ per day and takes days to get back to you. StarReady's AI Compliance Assistant knows every condition of the LAIA 2018 regulations inside out — and answers in seconds, any time you need it.
The assistant is trained on all DEFRA LAIA 2018 statutory guidance for every licensable activity, the procedural guidance for local authorities, the risk scoring and star rating methodology, inspection best practices, the appeal process and timelines, and every guidance update since 2018. It gives specific, cited answers — not generic advice. Try it live below — your first 3 questions are free.
Ask what any DEFRA condition actually means in practice — does it apply to your premises, your build date, your specific activities. Get a plain-English answer with the relevant condition cited.
Ask what your inspector will specifically look for on any condition. What evidence do they need to see? What's the difference between passing and failing on a borderline point?
Got a letter from your licensing officer flagging specific failings? Describe what they said. The assistant explains exactly what you need to fix and how to document it for re-inspection.
Renewal windows, appeal deadlines, re-inspection fees, what to submit and when. All the procedural detail that falls between the cracks of the GOV.UK pages.
Ask how to move from your current rating to the next band. The assistant knows exactly which required and optional higher standards apply to your activities and what evidence inspectors need.
This assistant provides information based on DEFRA statutory guidance. It is not a substitute for formal legal or regulatory advice. You remain responsible for ensuring your premises meet all licence conditions.
Yes. DEFRA and local authorities do not specify how documents must be created — only what they must contain. Your documents are assessed on whether they cover the required conditions, not how they were written. StarReady generates documents that cover every mandatory condition under LAIA 2018. You review and sign them off as the licence holder before your inspection, exactly as you would with any other documentation. Your inspector cares that the document is complete, current, and specific to your premises. StarReady ensures all three.
Under DEFRA's risk-based licensing system, all new applicants with no compliance history with a local authority are automatically classified as high risk. This means the maximum star rating you can receive on a first inspection is 4 stars — regardless of how strong your documentation is. This isn't a reflection of your business; it's simply how the regulations work for operators without a track record. StarReady will prepare your documents to the highest possible standard for a new application, maximising your chances of a 4-star first inspection. Once you have 12 months of compliance history with your local authority, you become eligible for a 5-star rating at your first renewal. We'll remind you when that window opens.
When DEFRA updates its guidance and one of your documents needs refreshing, StarReady shows you a side-by-side comparison of your current document and the newly generated version before you confirm the update. Changed paragraphs are highlighted so you can see precisely what's different. We also ask you to confirm your setup details are still current before generating — so if you've hired a new member of staff or moved your isolation facility since you first set up, you can update those details at the same time. The new version replaces the old one in your pack, and the change is logged with a timestamp in your version history.
The assistant is trained on all DEFRA LAIA 2018 statutory guidance for every licensable activity, the local authority procedural guidance, the star rating and risk scoring methodology, and every guidance update since 2018. It can answer questions about what specific conditions mean in practice, what your inspector will look for, whether a condition applies to your specific situation (build date, activity type, premises layout), how the appeal process works, renewal timelines, and how to move from your current star rating to a higher one. It gives specific answers with relevant conditions cited — not generic advice. It is not a substitute for formal legal advice and will tell you if a question is outside its knowledge. Available 24/7 on the Premium plan.
Yes. Once you've submitted your renewal application to the council, mark it as submitted in your StarReady dashboard. The reminder sequence stops, and your licence status shows as "Renewal submitted — awaiting inspection." If you don't hear back from the council within a reasonable timeframe, StarReady will prompt you to chase — because if your current licence expires before the renewal is processed and you haven't been told it's in progress, you could technically be operating without a licence.
Possibly. DEFRA has updated its statutory guidance multiple times since 2018 — eleven times at the last count. If your documents haven't been updated to reflect those changes, they may be out of date. For renewal inspections, inspectors look for evidence that documents have been reviewed regularly. StarReady's version log provides exactly that evidence, and the gap analysis will show whether your current documents would support a higher star rating.
Yes. The LAIA 2018 regulations cover kennels, catteries, home boarding for dogs, dog daycare, and dog breeding — all under the same licensing framework. StarReady's Pro plan covers all activities on a single licence. If you run multiple activities, we generate a combined document pack that covers all of them. This is particularly important because your star rating is rounded down to the lowest activity standard across all activities on your licence.
To achieve a 4 or 5 star rating, you must meet all "required" higher standards and at least 50% of "optional" higher standards on top of the mandatory minimums. Many of these are purely documentary — they require written procedures or records your documents must contain. The gap analysis shows you exactly which higher standards your current documents cover and which they don't, then generates the additional content you need to move up a star band.
The Premium plan includes a post-inspection appeal document generator. When the council provides their written breakdown of what failed, you input those points into StarReady and we generate either a formal appeal document or a remediation plan showing what you've changed. You have 21 days to appeal a star rating, and having the right documentation ready quickly is critical.
When DEFRA publishes updated statutory guidance, we review the changes and flag which of your documents may be affected. You'll receive an alert with a summary of what changed and the option to regenerate any impacted documents. This is one of the most important reasons to maintain your subscription: an outdated document found at inspection is a compliance failure even if it was accurate when you wrote it.
Yes, you can cancel at any time with no penalty and no notice period. Your subscription simply ends at the end of the billing period you've already paid for. Your documents are yours to keep — before you cancel, download your full PDF pack from your dashboard and you'll have everything you need. You won't lose access to documents you've already generated. What you lose on cancellation is ongoing guidance monitoring, renewal reminders, and the ability to regenerate or update documents going forward.
No contract, no minimum term. StarReady is month-to-month. You can start, pause, or cancel whenever you like. Most operators find the subscription most useful in the run-up to renewal and inspection, then keep it active year-round for the guidance monitoring and renewal reminders. There are no setup fees, no cancellation fees, and no price lock-in.
Under DEFRA's risk-based licensing system, all new applicants with no compliance history with a local authority are automatically classified as high risk. This means the maximum star rating you can receive on a first inspection is 4 stars — regardless of how strong your documentation is. This isn't a reflection of your business; it's simply how the regulations work for operators without a track record. StarReady will prepare your documents to the highest possible standard for a new application, maximising your chances of a 4-star first inspection. Once you have 12 months of compliance history with your local authority, you become eligible for a 5-star rating at your first renewal. We'll remind you when that window opens.
Join kennel and cattery owners across the UK who've replaced the paperwork stress with a 15-minute setup and a full inspection-ready document pack.
No credit card required. Cancel any time. Your documents are yours to keep.