We have continued to see a growing number of tenants with pets over the past 4 years. This has become increasingly noticeable over the covid period with record levels of tenants requesting permission to obtain pets as well as enquiries for pet-friendly properties.
You may have also seen in the media that no apartment building in NSW will now be allowed to have a blanket ban on pets following a surprise NSW Court of Appeal ruling that overturned the right of blocks to pass bylaws prohibiting animals.
The verdict follows a four-and-a-half-year battle by dog lover Jo Cooper to be permitted to keep her miniature schnauzer Angus in the prestigious Horizon building in Darlinghurst that has always had a pet ban.
This doesn’t mean you are forced to allow pets in your property – it is still up to the owner to accept animals in NSW, but it means that blanket no pet By-Laws will not be enforceable and rendered invalid by NCAT.
If you would like more detail about the case and what this means for pet By-Laws, please see this paper from JS Mueller & Co Lawyers
