Many people contact me for help when they are struggling to find a new rental home that they can share with their pets.  It's fair to say that renting with a pet can be a real challenge! 

The majority of my clients have pets and I have successfully placed all of my clients into pet-friendly homes that they love.  Dogs, cats, birds - all have been approved.

As an animal lover, I believe renters should be able to rent with their pets, and I go above and beyond to help my clients shine in their applications so that they are approved for their preferred home.

Why is it so difficult to find a pet-friendly rental home in Sydney?

There are many reasons:

1. Sydney is one of the most competitive cities in which to rent. Almost always, if a pet-owner and non-pet-owner are competing for the property, the landlord will approve the non-pet-owner.

2. In unit blocks, the body corporate needs to approve pets in their by-laws. Times are slowly changing and more and more unit blocks are allowing pets on the approval of the strata committee and the owner of the unit.

3. In unit blocks, not only does the body corporate need to allow pets, the landlord also needs to allow pets. Again, some landlords will be ok with say a cat, but perhaps not a dog.

4. The appropriateness of the property for the pet is also considered, eg it might be fine to have a small dog in a unit, but not a big one; it might be fine to have a dog in a garden unit / unit with a balcony / courtyard, but not a unit with no balcony or other outside space.

5. Sometimes, property managers are so very busy - and rental demand is so high - that it is easier to say no to a pet, than to approach the landlord and ask permission.

6. Some owners have experienced damage from pets in the past and no longer allow pets in their properties.

Why is this?

The vast majority of pets are well-behaved, much-loved, carefully looked-after, and cause no problems whatsoever.  But a small minority can cause huge (expensive) problems.  Cats weeing on wooden floorboards or carpets (can almost never get the smell out).  Dogs clawing or scratching wooden floorboards and doors.  Pets using curtains and carpets for scratching posts.  Animals not being toilet-trained.  Lingering smells of pets or animal fur long after the tenant has vacated, when the next tenant may be allergic to animal fur.  The list can go on. 

The landlord's ability to claim the cost of repairs for damage caused by pets is limited.  Damage to a rental property caused by a pet is not always covered under landlord insurance policies.  For some landlords, the only recourse is to claim against the 4 weeks' bond that has been paid, but on say a $600 pw property, this is only $2,400 which does not go very far to repair the cost of the damage.

Combine this with high rental demand for rental homes in Sydney, and you can understand why a landlord may be reluctant to rent a property to someone with a pet, when someone else has applied and they do not have a pet.

Many tenants engage Find My Rental Property when they are about to embark on their search for a pet-friendly rental home in Sydney.  We can do all of the searches and inspections for you, saving you oodles of time, because finding a home to rent with a pet is a time-consuming and frustrating process for most renters.  We do all of the leg work for you and making renting with a pet a breeze!

Melissa Maimann is a Licensed Real Estate Agent, Buyer's Agent and Rental Search / Relocation Agent in Sydney. She saves tenants time and frustration by offering an affordable service that finds and secures the best rental properties quickly, easily and efficiently. If you need a Licensed Real Estate Agent to find your next rental home for you, don't hesitate to make contact.