Pets in rentals - RSPCA South Australia

Support pet-friendly rentalsGo

Help us increase pet-friendly rentals – to keep renters and their beloved pets together

Email our Attorney General, The Hon Vickie Chapman using this simple form asking her to support this Bill on December 2, 2020 when it will be voted on in the Upper House of the South Australian Parliament.

And if you are a landlord who understands why people love their pets, please consider allowing families with pets to rent your property.

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Dear Vickie Chapman, Attorney General, Thank you for your ongoing concern for the welfare of all South Australians, renters and property owners alike. Almost a third of South Australians rent and most want to have pets, yet current estimates suggest just over 20% of South Australian landlords (rentals) will even consider allowing pets. This shortage causes major distress to our state’s renters who are often forced to surrender their much-loved pets to shelters, simply because they cannot find a pet-friendly rental. Currently, South Australia lags behind Victoria, the ACT and the NT, all of which have laws that allow renters to have pets unless the relevant Tribunal agrees with the landlord that there are valid reasons to disallow pets. The RSPCA appreciates actions taken by the real estate industry to increase the number of pet-friendly rentals but to date, this has not achieved anywhere near the proportion of pet-friendly properties needed. In the past year, RSPCA South Australia has seen a 13% increase in the number of animals surrendered by good owners unable to find a pet-friendly rental. This is heartbreaking for owners and distressing for both the pets and RSPCA shelter staff. Law reform is needed to address this problem. MLC Mark Parnell will bring the Residential Tenancies (Renting with Pets) Amendment Bill to a vote on December 2, 2020. The Bill looks after the interests of both landlords and renters. Renters must still seek the consent of landlords, and landlords can still put reasonable conditions on renters with pets but they can only refuse the pets by going to the Tribunal (SACAT). This means that where there is disagreement between the tenant and the landlord, the independent umpire can consider all circumstances and make a fair decision. Pet ownership is enjoyed by 68% of South Australians and many of us credit our pets with helping us through this time of pandemic and financial uncertainty. As our decision-making representative, we call on you to please support this Bill. Yours sincerely
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