We live in a society of rules and regulations. Most body corporates will allow small well behaved companion animals, why then is it so difficult to find a pet friendly home to rent in Sydney? We have friends who do not declare their pets and go to great lengths to hide any pet related evidence when the real estate agent comes to call.

The last time we moved house we looked at thirty properties, none were advertised as pet friendly. Whenever we asked if pets were allowed we were told that we needed to lodge an application, that applications would be assessed on their merits and that having a pet would go against us. Agents related stories of how pets mistreated property, damaged carpets, paint work and gardens. I believe the care of a property is the responsibility of the tenant. Just as children are a reflection of how their parents allow them to behave, it’s the same for pet owners, they are after all our fur kids.

The pressure increased for us to find a pet friendly home. When submitting a tenancy application we began including a supplementary information sheet containing a photograph of fluffy white Stan, our well behaved, house trained, bundle of joy:

. No, Stan won’t be left at home all day
. Yes, Stan gets on well with other dogs and people
. By the way, Stan goes to doggy day care once a week so that he can socialise with other dogs

Eventually we found a real estate agent who thought we were a good prospect. We agreed to make good any damage caused by Stan and to fumigate for fleas when we move out.

I call on owners of investment properties to say yes to pets!