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The state’s renters could soon find it easier to own pets and pay rent without additional costs as a result of new reforms set to be introduced in Parliament.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has announced that the NSW government will put forward legislation which aims to make it easier for renters to have pets in their homes, and ensure NSW renters are given access to cost-free rental payment methods.
With this new legislation set to be introduced to Parliament, Premier Minns stated that the revised pet ownership laws will ensure that landlords can no longer “automatically say no to a pet in a New South Wales rental”.
This reform has been long touted by the state’s government and will represent a shift from the state’s current laws which do not ban landlords from including clauses in a renter’s lease agreement that restrict them from owning pets.
If implemented, these revisions would see renters putting in an application which would require landlords to either approve or reject an application on reasonable grounds within 21 days.
This legislation will be similar to the model in effect in Victoria, Western Australia, and currently proposed in Tasmania, with Premier Minns highlighting the revisions will bring NSW “into line with every other jurisdiction in the country”.
While the revised grounds under which landlords would be able to refuse pet ownership were said to have not yet been codified, Premier Minns said the NSW government is “likely to adopt the Queensland model” of a “list of reasonable reasons”.
Under such a framework, the Premier relayed that landlords could still refuse pet ownership if tenants “exceed the reasonable number of animals on the property” or if the “property itself is unsuitable for pets”.
Speaking on the need for this reform, NSW Minister for Housing Rose Jackson shared examples in which “people will choose to live in cars or tents until they can find a rental and bring their pet with them”.
“Pets are part of the family. They’re beloved members of families, and we know that people will really resist giving up their pets until they can find a rental,” she said.
The state government further revealed that the new legislation will also require landlords to provide tenants with the option to make cost-free rental payments.
Weighing in on this practice, Premier Minns cited reports of “1.5 per cent on top of the rent that has to be paid just as a transaction cost for a strata manager in New South Wales”.
“Rents are high enough as it is, we don’t want any secret and hidden charges, which is why we are making it clear that every single renter needs a free way to pay their rent,” he said.
In drafting the legislation, NSW rental commissioner Trina Jones emphasised that the new laws will stipulate that landlords “must provide a free and convenient option that includes bank transfer or direct service or centre pay for those who need it”.
Jones further highlighted that complaints around restrictive rental payments received by Fair Trading NSW reflected “significant numbers of people who are impacted by this financial pressure”.
Commenting on the intentions of this reform, Jones stated that the NSW government wants to introduce “choice” and greater payment options to the rental market.
“What that means for renters is if they want to pay a fee on top of their rent, and that brings some level of convenience, of time saving, or the ability to use an app that gives them other functionality, that’s fine, but there should be an option for them to pay in a free way that’s convenient.”
“It doesn’t require them to have to go to the post office and pay in cash,” she concluded.
