I have just stumbled across an earlier post about companion animals in rental accommodation and think it is about time something was seriously done about this issue.
I am a Veterinary Surgeon and have been renting for a number of years. For years I have been desperate to start a “dog” family but am unable to because of ridiculous by laws set by by increasingly militant strata groups.
Despite many appeals to strata and landlords alike, and logic not prevailing, it seems even a Vet is unlikely to be a responsible pet owner and the process has always met with a resounding NO.
Whilst I am fully aware that most strata organisations are toothless tigers, what is unfortunately in their capacity, is the ability to make your rental record look like absolute rubbish which will make further rental near impossible.
I am not schooled in law, but I believe that there it would not be unreasonable to suggest that this form of rental restriction is a form of unfair discrimination and if pressed in a court of law, could a precedent be set upon which this ridiculous trend of no pets is binned for ever?
I totally agree with all the earlier respondents and clearly this “law” has been established due to poor behaviour by previous pet owning renters.
However, it is by no means a difficult task to come up with a fair and reasonable act that allows pets and protects landlords simultaneously. By constructing a law that provides certain criteria and checks and balances, I believe a balance could be struck between successful responsible pet owneship and the ability of a landlord to rent his/her property out in the knowledge that any damage caused by human (or animal) will be accounted for and remedied (pet bond).