If you rent a property in Tasmania, you will know how difficult it can be to find a place that will allow pets. But things are about to get better for tenants.
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00:00In good news for dogs everywhere, pet owners will soon have stronger rights in rentals.
00:07So what will the new rules be?
00:10If changes to tenancy laws go through parliament as the government intends, a tenant would
00:14be able to keep a pet at their property as long as they've notified the owner.
00:19If they take issue, they'd be able to take it to a tribunal.
00:23They'd have to convince the tribunal the animal was a nuisance, would cause damage or would
00:28pose a safety risk.
00:30Now, what happens if the animal causes damage to the property?
00:34Well, as per usual, if damage is caused, then the tenant will need to fork out to get it
00:38fixed.
00:39And it's important that the tenant returns the property to the way it was at the beginning
00:43of the tenancy, otherwise it'll come out of the bond.
00:47The bill also specifies that guide dogs are exempt from this legislation and they're not
00:51considered pets, meaning users and trainers of guide dogs can continue to have them on
00:56their property.
00:57The legislation will bring Tasmania in line with other states and territories.
01:01Victoria, Queensland SA, the ACT and the NT have all eased laws around no pet clauses
01:07in rental agreements.
01:09In New South Wales and WA, tenants can ask to have a pet in a rental, but the landlord
01:14has to grant permission.
01:16It's important to note that the legislation still needs to be debated, so some of these
01:20details could change slightly, but it does have broad support.
01:27For more information visit www.casagrandeaz.gov