Landlords say pets destroy homes—tenants say they’re family. Who’s right?

Casey Munro thought his life would stay divided between his home in Campbelltown and his dog Elsie, who lived with his mother.

Instead, a landmark tribunal ruling gave him the right to bring her home under new pet-friendly rental laws.

But the journey to get there was far from smooth.


When Mr Munro applied to keep Elsie, his border collie, his property manager rejected the request.

They argued the dog could cause more damage than his $1,300 bond would cover—a clause allowed under the May reforms.

Mr Munro said the rejection came only after delays and claims he had filled the form incorrectly.


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Tenant fights back after pet request refused. Image source: Pexels/Lum3n
Disclaimer: This is a stock image used for illustrative purposes only and does not depict the actual person, item, or event described.


With little choice, he took the matter to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).

He presented articles and a statement about Elsie’s training, while the property manager submitted inspection reports, a letter, and an insurance article on the energetic nature of border collies.

The tribunal sided with Mr Munro, ruling the landlord’s refusal unreasonable due to insufficient evidence.

‘Allowing me to have a dog improved my fitness, my mental health and just … my living standards,’ Mr Munro said.

‘It was a bit of stress when I knew I was going to have to take it to court, but it was worth it.’


The decision highlighted how the new laws are reshaping the balance between tenants and landlords in New South Wales.

Tenants’ Union advocacy manager Eloise Parrab welcomed the reforms, saying 30 per cent of renters nationally had pets and needed better protections.

‘Not being able to do blanket bans on pets really impacts on people’s abilities to find housing,’ she said.

But not all property owners supported the changes.

Nowra landlord Brenda Morrison, who owns several homes, said she feared pets would damage her properties.

‘Someone can say, I have an inside dog, and you just have to deal with it,’ she said.


Ms Morrison, who keeps her own pets including a dog, turtle, fish, and crickets, said she felt landlords had lost rights.

‘I feel like I have no rights now,’ she said.

The legislation does still allow landlords to refuse in certain circumstances, such as if there are more than four animals, or if fencing and open space are inadequate for the animal’s welfare.

Applications may also be rejected if a pet is likely to cause damage beyond the bond, or if the landlord lives on the property.

Real Estate Institute of NSW chief executive Tim McKibbin said disputes would inevitably flow to NCAT.

He added that landlords now had extra responsibilities, including maintaining fencing if the property was otherwise suitable for pets.

‘It may be wonderful that tenants are going to have some additional rights, but that only means something if you can get a rental,’ he said.


If one tenant’s battle over a border collie shows how much the rental landscape is shifting, the next big changes could affect thousands more.

The laws around pets are only part of a wider shake-up that is reshaping the rights and responsibilities of both renters and landlords.

Here’s a look at what’s about to change—and how it might impact anyone navigating the rental market.

Read more: Tenants will see rental rule changes in a few days! Here's what renters need to know

Key Takeaways
  • A tenant in Campbelltown won the right to keep his border collie under new NSW pet laws.
  • NCAT found the landlord’s rejection unreasonable due to lack of evidence.
  • The reforms prevent blanket pet bans but still allow limited refusals.
  • Landlords now face added obligations, including maintaining fencing for pets.

The question now is whether these reforms will ease the housing struggle—or make rentals even harder to secure.
 

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How does a dog's paws and claws damage a glass door by scratching? Was it glass after all or perspex or polycarbonate?

Dog claws are comprised of keratin, the same stuff that your fingernails and hair are made off. Ever heard of somebody scratch glass with their fingernails?
Well Vegie, it was a large dog, and the continual scratching caused severe scratch marks all over the glass. Dogs' nails are a lot stronger than mine; I can't dig a hole in the ground like they can. It was laminated glass.
 
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crickets, what a nutter.
 
This new law will decrease the supply of rental properties available.
Only looking at the situation from my own point of view, as a previous landlord, I wouldn't take kindly to being told I had to have a valid reason for refusing a pet. The only reason I should need is that it is my damn property and my decision. End of subject.
I disposed of my rental property because of bad tenants. One of them I agreed to let have his Rottweiler as long as it wasn't in the house. A complaint from a neighbour led us to discover three of them, all in the house.
The house had to be fumigated and all the carpets replaced, ripped flywire doors and torn curtains.

Craters in the backyard and months of dog excrement that had never been picked up.
And I'm not an animal hater. I have a rotty myself and two Tibetan spaniels and a cat, so I sympathise with renters who have pets but I have never yet had a tenant who stuck to the rules about pet ownership.
If I hadn't already disposed of my rental then I would now and I am positive so will others.
I don't consider it is anybody,except the owner of the property's decision, as to whether they will allow pets in THEIR property.
I am going to suggest those bad tenants would of still been bad without the dogs.
 
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I had this on good authority from an ex Real Estate agent that lots of them are just lazy to contact the landlord about pets or no pets. They just do the minimal to get as much profit from the fees they charge landlords so I would suggest that Real Estate agents brought about these laws just for being lazy.
 
A border Collie is not a small dog. If you want an inside dog make it a small one, but with the Landlord if you don't want dogs upstairs then I think that's fair, especially if you have carpet. Not only that, even though you can't smell a doggy smell any visitors can.
 
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I applied for countless properties to rent. I filled out forms also explaining my hearing disabilities to the point of having over 60 pc deafness and I need my dog with me.
My dog even had his own file with me through my last property manager, I requested it because I knew it would be hard.
It still didn't help.

I heard nothing at all from anyone except 1 property manager.
We were accepted nearly 3 years ago.
How time flies while I was writing this.

This unit has no carpet only lino.
Which I think on the owners point of view helped alot no messy carpet.

Every inspection pictures are taken even my dog is added in their file.
 
I reckon rent will go up to cover any damage a pet may cause. I know of one place the almost new floor coverings were damaged by a large dog running around the rooms constantly.
Yes, I reckon that too.
 
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How does a dog's paws and claws damage a glass door by scratching? Was it glass after all or perspex or polycarbonate?

Dog claws are comprised of keratin, the same stuff that your fingernails and hair are made off. Ever heard of somebody scratch glass with their fingernails?
Yes they can Vegge. I've seen it in some of my pre-purchase house inspections.
 
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Suggestion: Raise the bond.
 
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The tenant with the border collie won the case at NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal. A toothless tiger if I ever saw one.
I had to sit in one of their hearings once and take notes. The tribunal is very lenient.
 
By not allowing renters to have pets, it increases the amount of unwanted animals in shelters, & breaks up homes, as pets become family. A clause could be added that if their pets do damage the renters are responsible to fix it or lose their bond. Most pet owners are responsible.
Unfortunately, to my detriment, I have discovered that most pet owners (renters) are not responsible and the bond doesn't even begin to cover the damage.
People with destructive dogs are usually too lazy to train them, and in turn are also too lazy to look after the property.
Believe it ir not we once had a $137,000 capital loss on a property. 18 months of unpaid rent, 18 months back and forward to court, stolen furniture and expensive drapes, a $3,000 stolen chandeliers complete renovation of the house and all the gardens which needed to be relandscaped. There are some real feral out there.
 
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My Husband and I allowed a tenant of ours to have a dog, (we love animals). Unfortunately, the dog destroyed the sliding glass back door by scratching and damaging all the glass within its reach. The fly screen was ripped and damaged and the lawn was worn to a track of dirt where the poor thing ran up and down continuously. The laundry wall was stained and damaged where they put its bed at night.
Overall, the damage far outweighed the bond.
Perhaps if the bond was increased for animal owners it might help, or some sort of agreement reached to repair any damage caused by the pet.
I do think people have a right to have a pet, but there has to be give and take.🐈‍⬛🐕‍🦺🐕
Unfortunately there is no way to force a tenant to pay up for damage and a very large percentage of renters don't have any money behind them. A lot of them even get their bond money from state housing authorities .
How much can you raise the pet bond?We had to recarpet three bedrooms and
a lounge, repair two flywire doors, replace two sets of expensive curtains, fumigated and repaint
It cost $1,000 to have all the dog crap removed from the yard and holes filled in etc.
The entire experience cost over $20,000.
How many tenants have that sort of money.
Even a $5,000 bond wouldn't cut it.
 
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Well Vegie, it was a large dog, and the continual scratching caused severe scratch marks all over the glass. Dogs' nails are a lot stronger than mine; I can't dig a hole in the ground like they can. It was laminated glass.
Yes they can Vegge. I've seen it in some of my pre-purchase house inspections.
All I can say is that the glass was very poor quality, the glass had a coating on it (reflective film?) or the dog had a huge amount of sand on their paws.

It is physically impossible from a scientific point of view for a dog's claws alone to scratch glass. The Moh's scale, used to measure the hardness of minerals, metals, manmade and natural substances, has keratin (the stuff nails and claws are composed off) at 1.5 to 3 and glass ranging from 5.5 to 6, with quartz, the main component of sand, at about 7.
 
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All I can say is that the glass was very poor quality, the glass had a coating on it (reflective film?) or the dog had a huge amount of sand on their paws.

It is physically impossible from a scientific point of view for a dog's claws alone to scratch glass. The Moh's scale, used to measure the hardness of minerals, metals, manmade and natural substances, has keratin (the stuff nails and claws are composed off) at 1.5 to 3 and glass ranging from 5.5 to 6, with quartz, the main component of sand, at about 7.
Sorry Vegie, I have to agree with others on this. My two little Tibetan spaniels
have made a right mess of my glass sliding door.
Maybe it's just poor quality glass. I don't know, but my husband and I also encountered scratched glass doors on quite a few occasions during our years of flipping houses. I always assumed it was dogs.
 
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How does a dog's paws and claws damage a glass door by scratching? Was it glass after all or perspex or polycarbonate?

Dog claws are comprised of keratin, the same stuff that your fingernails and hair are made off. Ever heard of somebody scratch glass with their fingernails?
My dog has scratched the crap out of the side windows in both my vehicles (tho I think it's the tint that's damaged not the actual glass but still a real pain, & would be costly to fix)- maybe this is the case with this poster too
 
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Another reason why I'd never be a landlord (tho I love dogs & own a dog!
Landlords seem to have no rights any more
 
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Sorry Vegie, I have to agree with others on this. My two little Tibetan spaniels
have made a right mess of my glass sliding door.
Maybe it's just poor quality glass. I don't know, but my husband and I also encountered scratched glass doors on quite a few occasions during our years of flipping houses. I always assumed it was dogs.
Well, I have done the experiment.

We have sliding glass doors made to AS/NZS2208 Class A 10TH - Safety Glazing Materials in Buildings. The 10TH means that it is 10mm thick, toughened heat strengthened glass.

I used the tines of a stainless steel fork (which is about 4.5 on the Moh's scale) in an attempt to scratch the glass but to no avail.

You must have bought your sliding doors from Temu. :ROFLMAO:
 
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This is a tuff one. I know there are people who have animals and keep their house / unit clean but there is the other side.
A friend of ours who rented out their mother's newly renovated home to someone with two dogs.

They moved out after 3 years and when she went in to see if anything needed doing she was shocked at the stench . Apparently the dogs stayed inside and had peeded on the carpet in a few areas. The carpet needed replacing throughout.

Maybe there needs to be a clause that the dogs need to be kept outside unless they are small house dogs 🐕 maybe bonds need to be higher if you are keeping animals.

Dogs can destroy properties. A close friend had two little white dogs who always stayed inside, she owned the house, I could never eat at hers as tge house stunk of dog and thise little dogs constantly destroyed the wire on her security front door.

We had rented a house out in Rockdale and it wasn't a dog that badly destroyed it ,the human renters were worst than any animal
YES f the owher is a reponsible person My daughter has 2 rotties and she has complet control over them When they come to visi NOT A PROLEM AT ALLL
 

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