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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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
 
My cousin who is in her 30s and her partner were looking at a new rental in Chester Hill Sydney , they had to move due to the house they were renting being sold.

They were prepared for a long time looking when they had put in an application for a townhouse. That property had over 100 applications but the property manager got to talking to them and one question was asked, do you have kids? After the property manager saw they were a working couple with no kids and no animals they were told they were exactly what the owner was looking for. They had a call two hours later saying it was theirs.
They moved in last weekend.

What I can see now is if you have kids or a dog it maybe harder to actually get approved .

My daughter who rents and at the time had one child and a perfect rental record had decided to move from a unit to a townhouse and it took her nearly a year to find a place and she suspected it was because she had a toddler. Now she has two and is convinced she would have trouble getting approved for another place even though she is always a month in advanced with her rent
 
I sincerely hope the majority of pet owners renting a property would take care that the pet does not damage - or pay for any repairs! Unfortunately, even if it were the case, the minority who don't would be the ones to stand out in every renter's memory. I've always been rigorous with flea control when renting a property with a cat - but have rented a flat that was absolutely infested with fleas. I paid to treat the infestation my predecessor left. How many pet owners renting such a place would? I am afraid most would demand the owner treat the infestation.
Making it effectively compulsory to rent property to people with pets is as likely to put the rental up - or the owners of the property withdraw it from the market. UNLESS, of course, there is some extra bond to be held in the event of repairs needed as the result of pet damage.
Some things - like urine scents (especially urine of entire males) can soak into walls and floors - sometimes even requiring the urine-soaked area to be totally destroyed (not just carpets replaced - carpets, floorboards, skirtings, part of the walls....). I don't know how people can live with the stink. But I've been to enough houses where I can smell the urine before I even enter the house.
 
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.
 
My husband and I had two rental properties and we were lucky in one of them where we had a lady who was a great tenant and always paid her rent on time and kept the house immaculate. She was our tenant for 6 years and we never raised the rent, even though the Property Manager kept telling us every year to raise it, because she was such a good tenant we refused. In the other house we had we had nothing but bad tenants, e.g. not paying their rent, trashing the house, having pets when we told them we didn't want dogs, etc etc. We have now sold both properties as our good tenant moved out so we decided to sell both properties. We would have kept one property but we could see even a couple of years ago when we sold how things were going regarding having an investment property and that's why we sold. We knew that landlords were going to lose all their rights and it would be a nightmare when you have a bad tenant (which I agree most of them are) so we sold up. The problem is that now so many more people will sell up who have rental properties due to all these changes which means there will be even less properties out there for people to rent, especially when you consider the mass immigration being brought into our country and they all need somewhere to live as well.
 
We sold 3 rental properties as we were forced to allow pets in the buildings. The smell in the houses and damage to yards etc. far exceeded the bond money. Insurance declined to cover the costs. We removed the properties from the rental market and invest elsewhere now. I know there are great pet owners out there somewhere, but to many are not and don't clean up after pets. How can they live in the stench? Like heavy smokers I guess they are immune to the odour. And the damage to the yards was beyond imagination. One property over 5k just to make it presentable again after 6 months.
 
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
They obviously didn't do any inspections, that would have sorted that problem alot earlier. You do have to stay on top of properties and for this reason I have never bern interested. You are either very lucky or can be extremely unlucky and not worth the stress in my opinion.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Our dog live in our house but my wife lets them out to toilet they never do it in the house and the dogs are always clean no smell in our house, but I agree if a tenant doesn't manage their dogs then they should pay for any damage when we had a rental property the tenant always covered any damage he was very good
 
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.
100% agree - and I've been a renter with a cat. Can't understand people who live in the condition some places are left in!
 
Next the government will be legislating they we landlords have to allow smokers to rent our properties which will mean LESS homes to rent.
 
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.
Well said!
 
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Next the government will be legislating they we landlords have to allow smokers to rent our properties which will mean LESS homes to rent.
How about tenants with their stinky cooking stenches?

I have been a resident of a property that was adjacent to such a situation and I would hate to imagine what the inside of that rented property would smell like. All day, every day of onion-curry-pungent spices fumes wafting down the hallway of a unit complex.

Worse than smokers, musty dogs and rancid shoes at a front door.
 
How about tenants with their stinky cooking stenches?

I have been a resident of a property that was adjacent to such a situation and I would hate to imagine what the inside of that rented property would smell like. All day, every day of onion-curry-pungent spices fumes wafting down the hallway of a unit complex.

Worse than smokers, musty dogs and rancid shoes at a front door.
l'm not a landlord/landlady but l do know someone who is a very fair & just landlady who has allowed tenants to keep pets indoors but it backfired on her because the tenant allowed her cats & dogs to do their business in just about every room of the house. The tenant eventually left & left the the fully renovated house in such a disgrace that the whole house had to be fully renovated with new carpets & flooring. Why is it that these tenants think they have the right destroy other peoples property. Comfortable cosy homes in good locations are provided for tenants & those that choose to trash the rental property deserve to be left out in the gutters where they belong. It's time for more rights for landlords/landladies.
 
Here we go again!
Bosses have no control over workers anymore!
Now landlords have no control over who or what they lease to!
Why would anybody want to own a business anymore or have a home to rent..
Parents can no longer discipline kids, bosses cannot make staff come to work ( work from home laws) and now landlords cannot say no to pets.
The bullshit just keeps rolling on!
 
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They obviously didn't do any inspections, that would have sorted that problem alot earlier. You do have to stay on top of properties and for this reason I have never bern interested. You are either very lucky or can be extremely unlucky and not worth the stress in my opinion.
Exactly. Most Rental agents do 3-4 monthly inspections and I'm sure if a property was in such a mess the Tennant would be issued with a breach. The situation would be monitored. If privately owned then it is up to the Owner to inspect regularly so as to keep an eye on the property.
 
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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.🐈‍⬛🐕‍🦺🐕
 
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.🐈‍⬛🐕‍🦺🐕
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?
 

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