Renting With Pets in Australia: Rules by State

Can my landlord say no to a pet?

Not just because they would rather not. Every Australian state and territory has now changed its tenancy law so that a landlord needs a reason, a tribunal order or both to refuse a pet. Tasmania was the most recent, on 20 March 2026.

The states split into three groups. In NSW, Queensland and South Australia the law lists the only reasons a landlord can use, and the landlord must write the reason down. In Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory the landlord has to take you to the tribunal to refuse, and has 14 days to do it. Western Australia is a mix: a landlord can refuse a pet that breaks a law or strata rule, but most other refusals need the Commissioner for Consumer Protection to agree.

The common thread is a deadline. If the landlord sits on your request past it, the pet is generally approved. That is why the single most useful thing a renter can do is ask properly, in writing, on the official form, and keep a copy with the date.

Pet rental rules by state

Each row comes from that state's official tenancy body. Rules checked November 2026. Tenancy law changes often, so follow the link for your state before you rely on a detail.

Checked November 2026 against each official page linked above. This is general information, not legal advice. If you are in a dispute, your state's tenancy body or tenants' advice service can help.

Renting with pets in NSW: the 2025 rules

From 19 May 2025, a NSW landlord can only refuse a pet for one of a short list of reasons, and has 21 days to answer. NSW Fair Trading runs the process through a standard pet application form. You fill in section A, every tenant on the lease signs it, and you give it to the landlord or agent. The landlord answers in section B.

The only reasons a NSW landlord can refuse

• Too many animals. Four or fewer is a reasonable number under the rules, so this reason only works for a fifth animal and up.
• Fencing is not appropriate. Not if the landlord let the fence fall into disrepair, and not if the pet lives indoors and only goes out on a lead or in a carrier.
• Not enough open space. Not if the pet uses a litter tray, or will be walked off the property for toileting and exercise. Fair Trading's own example: a cat in an apartment cannot be refused for lack of open space.
• The animal cannot be kept humanely because of something about the property.
• Damage is highly probable and would cost more than the rental bond to fix.
• The landlord lives in the same home, including a head tenant who sublets.
• The pet would break a law, a council order, a valid strata by-law or a community rule.
• The tenant refused a reasonable condition after a good-faith discussion.

The landlord has to name the reason and explain why it applies. If they do not answer within 21 days, the pet is approved without conditions.

What a NSW landlord can and cannot ask for

A landlord can set reasonable conditions about keeping the animal. Fair Trading gives three examples: an animal not usually kept inside (a chicken, a goat) stays outside; carpets professionally cleaned at the end of the lease if the pet lives indoors; and professional fumigation at the end if the pet is an indoor mammal. A landlord cannot raise the rent or the bond, ask for any other security such as insurance, or set conditions that control your day-to-day life.

Moving into a new rental with a pet

You can send the pet application before you sign the lease. If you apply within 7 days of signing, you can keep the pet at the property while you wait for the answer. If the landlord then refuses, you have 21 days before the pet has to go, and you can apply to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) within 28 days of the response. If you apply within those 21 days, the pet can stay while the Tribunal decides. Once consent is given, it lasts for the life of the pet while it lives at the property, even if the landlord or agent changes.

Pets in NSW strata

Strata is a second, separate approval. According to NSW Fair Trading's strata guidance, by-laws that ban all pets are not valid, and bans based on size, type or number will not be valid in most cases. An owners corporation can only reject a pet that causes “unreasonable interference”, such as constant noise, attacks on people or animals, repeated damage, or a dog that is declared dangerous or menacing or is a restricted breed. It must decide in a reasonable time or the pet is approved, and it cannot charge a pet fee or bond or require insurance.

That position traces back to Cooper v The Owners Strata Plan No 58068, a NSW Court of Appeal decision of 12 October 2020. A Darlinghurst couple kept a miniature schnauzer in a building whose by-law banned all animals; the Court found the blanket ban invalid. Parliament then added section 137B to the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015, which says a by-law that unreasonably prohibits keeping an animal has no force.

For tenants, the order matters. Check the by-laws, send the strata application and the landlord's pet application together, and bring the pet home only once both are approved. Fair Trading notes that a tenant needs the owner's consent before taking a strata refusal to the Tribunal.

The rules in the other states and territories

Victoria

Victorian renters fill in a separate Pet request form for each pet. A rental provider cannot unreasonably refuse; if they want to say no, they have 14 days (starting the day after they receive the form) to apply to VCAT and tell you. You cannot keep the pet while VCAT decides. If they do nothing in 14 days, you can keep it. VCAT looks at the type of pet, the type of property, its fixtures and fittings and any council laws. Consumer Affairs Victoria says rental providers cannot ask for a pet bond. In apartments, owners corporation rules for common areas still apply.

Queensland

During a tenancy, Queensland tenants use Form 21. The Residential Tenancies Authority says the landlord must answer in writing within 14 days, giving either conditions or a listed reason for refusal, or the pet is approved automatically. Listed reasons include too many animals, unsuitable fencing or space, likely damage above the bond, an unacceptable safety risk (a venomous pet, for example), a law, or a body corporate by-law. Approval lasts for the pet's life, even if the lease is renewed or the owner changes. Keeping a pet without approval is a significant breach, and pet damage is not fair wear and tear.

Applying for a new rental is different: the Form 21 process is only used during a tenancy, so put the pet in your rental application and make sure it is written into the lease.

Western Australia

WA tenants use Form 25 (Pet Request Form). WA Consumer Protection says a landlord can refuse without the Commissioner only if the pet would break a law or strata rule. For other reasons, such as no fencing, too many pets, likely damage above the bond, a safety risk, undue hardship to the landlord or a co-tenant, or a declared dangerous dog, the landlord must apply to the Commissioner within the 14 days. WA is also the only state with a pet bond: up to $350 for a residential tenancy, for fumigation or pet damage, lodged with the Bonds Administrator. A landlord can set a limit on the number of animals and cleaning or fumigation conditions without approval; conditions like “the pet must stay outside” need the Commissioner.

South Australia

Since 1 July 2024, Consumer and Business Services says a landlord cannot simply state “no pets allowed” unless strata, community title, rooming house or residential park rules prohibit pets. You can apply when applying for a rental or during the lease. The landlord has 14 days to answer in writing, and can only refuse on listed grounds. Reasonable conditions include keeping a pet outside if it is not normally an indoor animal, restraining it when the landlord visits, and professional carpet cleaning at the end. If you think a refusal or condition is unreasonable, you can apply to SACAT.

Tasmania

The Residential Tenancy Amendment (Pets) Act 2025 started on 20 March 2026. The Tasmanian Government says tenants must lodge a formal pet request before bringing a pet home, landlords can no longer apply blanket “no pets” rules, and a landlord who wants to refuse must apply to TASCAT within 14 days to justify it. CBOS says pet bonds are not allowed. Tenants remain responsible for damage beyond fair wear and tear.

Australian Capital Territory

The ACT Government says tenants can generally have a pet. A lease cannot ban pets outright, though it can require you to ask first. To refuse, the landlord must apply to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and ACAT says that application must come within 14 days of your written request or consent is taken as given. Reasonable conditions on the number of animals or cleaning need no approval; other conditions do. No extra bond and no extra inspections because of a pet.

Northern Territory

For leases signed from 1 January 2021, you give the landlord written notice describing the pet and wait 14 days. NT Consumer Affairs says that to object, the landlord must give written reasons and apply to NTCAT within those 14 days. If they do not, you can keep the pet. The pet must be reasonable for the property, and pet bonds are not allowed. Units where body corporate rules prohibit pets are not covered by these rules.

Strata and body corporate: a separate set of rules

If you rent a unit or townhouse, the landlord's yes may not be the only one you need. Strata or body corporate by-laws sit on top of the lease, and each state handles them differently.

• NSW: blanket pet bans are invalid; refusal only for unreasonable interference; no strata pet fee or bond (NSW Fair Trading).
• Victoria: owners corporation rules for common areas apply, and a pet found dangerous or a nuisance may have to go (Consumer Affairs Victoria).
• Queensland: body corporate approval may take longer than the landlord's 14 days; the landlord can refuse while it is pending, and you can re-apply once you have it. Body corporate decisions can be disputed through the Office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management (BCCM) (RTA).
• Western Australia: where strata by-laws prohibit pets, a pet request is automatically refused, and there is no time limit for a council of owners to respond (WA Consumer Protection).
• South Australia: strata and community title by-laws still apply, and a landlord can say no pets where they prohibit them (CBS).
• Tasmania: the 2026 law does not override strata by-laws about animals (section 36R(4) of the Residential Tenancy Amendment (Pets) Act 2025).
• ACT: you may need owners corporation approval as well; ask the landlord or agent, who can arrange it (ACT Government).
• Northern Territory: units where body corporate rules specifically prohibit pets are outside the pet rules (NT Consumer Affairs).

Ask for the by-laws before you sign. It takes five minutes and saves you from a lease you cannot keep a pet in.

Why this matters most if you are about to adopt

Renters are the adopters these rules affect most, because rescues often check your housing before they approve an adoption. Several shelters on our verified list spell it out. RSPCA ACT tells adopters that renters may need landlord approval. Dogs' Homes of Tasmania asks renters for a landlord letter. The Sunshine Coast Animal Refuge asks for a lease or written landlord permission, plus body corporate approval for units. Logan City Council's Animal Management Centre asks renters for the landlord's agreement.

So the order is: pick the kind of pet that suits your rental, get the landlord's written yes (and strata's, if needed), then apply for the animal. Across the rescues we aggregate, adult dogs and cats are listed all year, and an adult animal with a vet record and a known temperament is a much easier pet request to approve than an unknown puppy.

How to apply for a pet (and write a pet resume)

This part is practical advice, not law. Use your state's official form first. Then attach a one-page pet resume. Consumer and Business Services SA publishes a pet resume example, and Consumer Affairs Victoria suggests sending the same kind of detail with a pet request.

1. The basics: name, species, breed or mix, age, sex and adult size.
2. Desexing, microchip and council registration, with the microchip and registration numbers.
3. Vaccinations and parasite treatment up to date, from your vet record.
4. Temperament and training: house-trained, crate-trained, any classes completed, how the pet is with people and other animals.
5. References: a past landlord or agent, your vet, or the rescue you adopted from.
6. Your plan for the property: indoor or outdoor, where it sleeps, how it is exercised, rugs for floors, and an offer of professional carpet cleaning at the end if the pet lives inside.
7. A photo of a calm, clean animal.

Adopting from a rescue helps here. Rescue animals usually come desexed, microchipped and vaccinated, and the rescue can often give a written temperament note. If you have not chosen yet, browse cats in Sydney, dogs in Melbourne, dogs in Brisbane or dogs in Perth, and see our other Australia-wide guides.

Assistance animals

Assistance animals are not pets under tenancy law and do not need landlord consent. They are protected by disability discrimination law, including the federal Disability Discrimination Act 1992. A landlord or strata body may ask for evidence of the animal's status, but NSW Fair Trading says they should not ask for private medical records.