The best and worst places to rent with a pet in Melbourne
When a house inspection is due, Chris is worried about a lot more than cleaning.
The 25-year-old organises a friend to look after his dog, and hides any trace of his four-legged friend: food, water bowl, leashes and toys.
He is worried if his landlord finds out about the pooch, he could be kicked out of the house he shares with three friends in Melbourne’s inner south.
Strict pet bans force renters to surrender their animals, RSPCA says." />Strict pet bans force renters to surrender their animals, RSPCA says. Photo: Robert Peet
Chris, who requested anonymity, said he struggled to find a pet-friendly rental. “The rental market is so tight now that even finding a house was hard enough,” he said.
Data suggests his experience is not uncommon. An analysis of rental listings has found just five per cent of properties are marketed as pet-friendly, despite more than 60 per cent of Australian households owning a pet.
Experts say the rental sector’s hardline stance towards pets is forcing owners to choose between lying to their landlord or surrendering their furry friend. It’s estimated one in five abandoned animals are surrendered because of tenancy issues.
stricter pet bans than houses." />Apartment rentals have stricter pet bans than houses. Photo: Erin Jonasson
Data collected and analysed by Domain Group has identified the suburbs with the highest percentage of listings that are pet-friendly.
The top five suburbs were Cranbourne North, Point Cook, Tarneit, Wyndham Vale and Mernda. More than 94 per cent of rental listings in these suburbs were either explicitly or potentially pet-friendly.
The analysis also found landlords and property managers were much more open to accepting pets in houses, compared to apartments. Of 5737 apartments up for rent, just 149 or 2.5 per cent, were pet-friendly.
Just five per cent of rental listings in Melbourne are pet-friendly. Photo: Janie Barrett
Topping the list of suburbs with the smallest percentage of pet-friendly rentals were inner-city suburbs with medium to high density residential buildings: Melbourne CBD, Southbank, Docklands and Carlton.
Along the St Kilda Road precinct, 99.2 per cent of rentals were not considered pet-friendly.
But renters with pets can also expect to struggle to find a home in leafier pockets in Melbourne’s east and south east such as Hawthorn, Armadale, Elwood and South Yarra.
Hocking Stuart’s Samantha McCarthy said rentals in outer areas like Wyndham Vale and Tarneit were more pet-friendly because they were on larger blocks of land that had backyards.
She said landlords considered tenants with pets on a case-by-case basis, and took their rental history into account. Regular grooming or veterinary check ups could also show the applicant was a responsible pet owner, she said.
“Just because you have a pet doesn’t make you a bad tenant,” Ms MCarthy said.
RSPCA Victoria has lobbied the state government to remove the “no pets” clause that landlords frequently put into rental agreements.
“RSPCA Victoria deals daily with animal owners who have no choice but to surrender their animals to us in order to get into the rental market or when moving into a new rental property,” chief executive Liz Walker said.
She said it was devastating for people who consider their pet to be a member of the family.
“All too often this is occurring because property owners are refusing to accept tenants with pets,” Dr Walker said.
The Tenants Union of Victoria said landlords’ reluctance to accept pets stemmed from their concern animals might cause damage to the property.
But spokeswoman Devon LaSalle pointed to an American study that found pet owners typically caused less damage to a property than renters with children.
She added: “Any damage done is by and large covered by the bond.”
The Real Estate Institute of Victoria has argued a special bond for pets should be introduced.
Chris said he was open to the idea of paying more rent or more bond if it meant securing permission to live with his dog.
In the past, he has submitted a “pet resume” with a reference from a vet in his rental application, and offered to pay extra bond.
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