Australian landlords can no longer refuse pets in apartments

The Housing Legislation Amendment Act, which came into force on 1 October 2022, bans owners from refusing pets in rental properties unless they have “reasonable grounds” to do so.

The new reform aims to change the balance of housing laws that traditionally prioritized landlords’ rights.

The Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) reminded apartment tenants that they will still need to seek consent from the property owner. Property owners must respond to these requests within 14 days.

Under old rules, a landlord could decline a tenant’s request for a pet for no specific reason. Property owners could also advertise their apartments with a no-pet caveat.

When can pets be rejected?

The law establishes a few exceptions where landlords can still impose a veto on animals on their property.

According to REIQ’s CEO Antonia Mercorella, property owners can only refuse a pet request if they can prove that the property cannot “humanely accommodate” pets or if keeping animals is likely to cause costly damage.

Mercorella also highlighted some safeguards for property owners in that they could impose certain conditions concerning the approval of a pet on their property.

“An approval could be subject to the condition that the pet is kept outside at the premises if it’s not the type of pet that’s ordinarily kept inside.”