“No pets allowed!” That’s the challenge facing renters with furry or feathered best friends.
The number of pet-friendly rentals in New Zealand is far outweighed by the number of Kiwis with a pet. In Auckland Region alone the number of registered dogs in 2018-2019 was 110,969, over 950 up from the year before.
But landlord opinion on pets could be shifting.
Waikato real estate property manager Kate, who owns two pooches as well as two rentals, has seen many landlords change their mind and give green light to renters with pets.
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Renters need to be able to convince a landlord they are responsible, Kate says.
“You should submit CV for your pet. Include a picture of your pet and an introduction with ‘Hi, my name is...I like playing with toys, I’m toilet trained and know how to use a cat door to go outside.’ People who do so will get a property even though it was advertised as a no-pet property.”
If the property is not “pet-proof”, tenants can improve their chances by offering to put up barriers around the house.
“For most [landlords], their rental is a half a million-dollar investment and they want to look after it. So, we just need to be able to make an educated decision,” Kate says.
Another Waikato Real Estate property manager and a cat-owner Ben Roberts says it’s sad that pet owners are missing out on a lot of properties.
“Some landlords joke that kids do more damage to the house than animals,” he laughs.
Catherine Goodwin, head of Auckland real estate firm Goodwins, says more landlords are allowing tenants to have pets because pet-owners tend to offer more security.
“There’s been a trend for change for quite some time. It’s a win-win because it’s hard to find the property that allows pets - tenants will stay where they are for longer,” Goodwin says.
Landlords have tended to more cautious about tenants with pets because there’s no specific legislation addressing potential damage caused by a pet.
The Tenancy Tribunal classifies damage as intentional, incidental or careless and pet-related damage can fall into one of these categories, depending on evidence judge’s decision.
Damaged or urinated on carpet is the most common damage a pet can cause with a carpet replacement costing a whopping $5000 or more.
“Even a well-kept cat can pick up lice, which can go into the carpet,” Goodwin says.
At the moment, landlords can’t force a tenant to pay for pet damage but if the law was changed, Goodwin says, there would be more landlords accepting of pets.
