Pets in Strata: What You Need to Know

Australia has a strong history of pet ownership and with a growing percentage of families choosing to live in strata, there is often confusion in regards to owner responsibilities, rules and regulations pertaining to the keeping of pets. The presence of pets in strata buildings may raise a number of concerns including, but not limited to, animal temperament, noise level, hygiene, maintenance, control and supervision. It is the responsibility of the occupant to ensure that the pet will not damage common property, risk the safety of others or disrupt the peaceful enjoyment of the scheme. If you are considering introducing a new pet into your strata property, it is important to check your property by-laws beforehand as they differ from scheme to scheme. It is equally important to consider whether the pet will be suited to a smaller space. Here is a list of key points to consider if you are planning to introduce a new pet into your strata property:

• Check your by-laws to familiarise yourself with what approval requirements need to be obtained before you introduce a new pet
• You may need to seek written approval of the body corporate
• If you are a tenant applying for a pet or a landlord, you may need to obtain or provide written consent before approval will be considered
• The committee is required to enforce any by-law breaches
• The behavior of the pet is what will be focused on when breach of by-laws or approval conditions are considered. If the pet frequently makes noise or is anti-social to the effect that it impacts on the peaceful enjoyment or safety of others, then this behaviour might constitute a possible by-law breach by the occupant
• Registered assistance animals (e.g. guide dogs) are exempt from any pet restrictions or pet by-laws

If you have any questions or concerns regarding pets in strata schemes, please contact your local Archers office.

This article was contribute by Grant Mifsud – Partner, Archers the Strata Professionals.