The Power of Pets

 In Newsletter

sydney buyers agentsI had an interesting conversation recently with John Cunningham, REINSW President, regarding rental properties and pets.  He was relaying that a colleague of his has a holiday rental on the NSW coast which manages to achieve almost 0% vacancy during the year, predominantly due to the fact that the landlord allows pets.  A rare offering indeed, and even rarer in long term leases for permanent renters.

In latest research, a survey from lenders HomeStart Finance found the inability to have pets was the biggest annoyance of almost 25% of renters and it’s not surprising. It can be very difficult to find landlords willing to entertain pets on NSW leases. The Tenants Union of NSW (TUNSW) has now asked for a ban on clauses prohibiting pets in lease agreements as part of their submission to Fair Trading NSW’s tenancy review discussion paper.

Keeping pets is “both [a] personal choice and personal responsibility” that adults should not be required to seek permission for, according to the TUNSW submission.

They go on to say, “What is clear is that a person’s tenure can have no bearing on their ability to keep a pet responsibly.”

I certainly agree with their sentiments and I personally have allowed pets in many of my rental properties over the years, and not in others (strata by-laws prevent me from doing so) as I’ve found that advertising “pets considered” certainly does widen the rental pool, and I’ve been fortunate in the majority of cases to have had excellent tenants who also happen to be pet owners. It can not only be a smart strategy to advertise this way if your rental property is suitable, but you may just end up with a long term tenant who is very happy to stay on for many years because of the consideration.  Power to the pooch and pussy cats owners I say!

 

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