Pets in rentals NSW-wide are now a process with a clock on it: since 19 May 2025 the rules have shifted in favour of tenants, and the reality is the clock is what catches landlords out, not the rules themselves. Here is what the rules as they stand in 2026 mean for you as a landlord in the eastern suburbs or inner city, what you can and can’t do, and a simple process so nothing slips.
Pets in rentals NSW: what actually changed on 19 May 2025
Under the reforms that began on 19 May 2025, a tenant can ask to keep a pet, and the request should be made in writing. From there, three things sit with you as the landlord. You have 21 days to respond in writing. You can only refuse on specific grounds set out in NSW law. And if you don’t respond within those 21 days, the request is treated as approved. The detail sits with NSW Fair Trading, and our plain-English guide to the NSW rental law changes covers how the pet rules fit alongside the changes to ending a tenancy and how rent is paid.
Two details decide when the clock starts. It runs from the day after a valid application reaches you or your agent, and it counts weekends and public holidays. An application that not every tenant on the lease has agreed to isn’t valid, so it doesn’t start the clock.
New from 2 October 2026: tenants moving in with a pet
From 2 October 2026, a tenant who moves in with a pet can keep it at the property while their request is considered, as long as they apply within 7 days of the tenancy starting. If the request is refused, the pet can stay for a short time after the refusal. In practice your answer is due while the pet is already living there, so it pays to settle your position on pets before you lease. Fair Trading’s guide to keeping a pet in a rental property sets out the current process.
When a NSW landlord can still refuse a pet
You can still say no, but not on a whim. The grounds a landlord can rely on are:
- keeping the animal would breach other laws, council rules, or strata or community scheme by-laws
- there would be too many animals at the property (Fair Trading treats four or fewer as reasonable)
- the property is unsuitable for the animal
- the animal is likely to cause damage costing more than the bond to repair
- the landlord lives at the property
- the tenant refuses a reasonable condition on keeping the animal
A strata by-law only helps if the building could actually enforce it: NSW strata law no longer allows a by-law to unreasonably ban pets, so a blanket ban is unlikely to be enough on its own. A refusal now needs a reason you can put in writing and stand behind, on one of the allowed grounds, inside the window.
Rather have someone track the dates and obligations for you? That is what property management done properly looks like. Start with a free rental appraisal.
Pet rent and pet bond: what a NSW landlord can’t charge
This is the one that surprises landlords who have been renting out property for years. You can’t charge pet rent, you can’t ask for a higher bond, and you can’t add any extra pet fee. The protection for a landlord is not a surcharge. It is the paperwork: a clear pet clause in the agreement, detailed entry photos, and a condition report done properly, so if there is damage beyond fair wear and tear at the end of the tenancy you can show it clearly. A bond claim still runs under the normal rules, and a tenant can dispute one, so the evidence is what protects you.
A three-step process for every pet request
In our experience, the landlords who get caught out are not careless. The request lands in an inbox during a busy week and day 21 arrives before anyone has answered. So the process has to be simple enough to run every time:
- Step 1: log the request the day it arrives. One inbox, one date, one owner. The 21 days start now, not when you get around to it.
- Step 2: decide on the allowed grounds, in writing. If the property is genuinely suitable, the answer is usually yes, with any conditions the rules allow (check the current detail with NSW Fair Trading). If it isn’t, the refusal names the specific ground and goes back inside the window.
- Step 3: put the approval in writing. A pet clause in the agreement, entry photos that leave nothing to argue about, and a note in the condition report. That is what protects you at the end of the tenancy.
A good property manager does this quietly in the background, as part of managing your property properly. For self-managing landlords, the silence-equals-yes rule is the one to put a reminder on today.
Why a pet-friendly rental is often the better business decision
Set the law aside for a moment. A rental that welcomes pets, with the right paperwork, widens your pool of good tenants, and a tenant who has found a home that welcomes their animal has a real reason to stay put. A well-screened tenant with a dog can look after a home better than a careless one without, and a tenant who stays is worth far more to you than a pet fee you can’t charge anyway. If you are weighing it up for a specific property, an honest conversation about what it should achieve starts with a rental appraisal, and the pet question is one we will walk through with you.
What to do this week
- Check your current agreements for pet clauses and any old wording about pet bonds or pet rent, which can’t be charged.
- Write down how a pet request gets handled at your property: who answers it, where the date is logged and when the 21-day clock runs out.
- If a request is sitting unanswered right now and you are still inside the 21 days, respond today, on the allowed grounds or with conditions the rules allow. If the 21 days have already passed, the request is treated as approved, so check your position with NSW Fair Trading before you do anything else.
- If you would rather it was handled, our landlord FAQ covers pets alongside the other questions owners ask us most, and the wider 2026 changes sit in the rental-law guide linked above.
This article is general information only, not legal advice, and the rules can change. Last reviewed October 2026. Confirm the current detail for your situation with NSW Fair Trading before you act.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a landlord have to respond to a pet request in NSW?
A landlord in NSW has 21 days to respond in writing to a tenant’s pet request under the rules that began on 19 May 2025, and if there is no response within 21 days the request is treated as approved, which is why the request should be logged the day it arrives. Check the current detail with NSW Fair Trading.
On what grounds can a landlord refuse a pet in NSW?
A landlord in NSW can refuse a pet only on the specific grounds set out in the law: keeping the animal breaching other laws, council rules or strata by-laws, too many animals at the property, the property being unsuitable for the animal, likely damage costing more than the bond, the landlord living at the property, or the tenant refusing a reasonable condition. The refusal has to be in writing within 21 days, and a blanket strata ban is unlikely to be enough on its own, because NSW strata law no longer allows a by-law to unreasonably ban pets. Confirm the current grounds with NSW Fair Trading.
Can I charge pet rent or a pet bond in NSW?
No, under the NSW rules a landlord cannot charge pet rent, ask for a higher bond or add any extra pet fee, so the protection for a landlord sits in the paperwork instead: a clear pet clause, detailed entry photos and a properly completed condition report. NSW Fair Trading publishes the current rules.
Does a strata by-law banning pets mean I can say no?
Only if the building could actually enforce it. Breaching strata by-laws is one of the allowed grounds, but NSW strata law no longer allows a by-law to unreasonably ban pets, so a blanket ban is unlikely to be enough on its own, and a landlord in a strata building still has to respond within 21 days and rely on one of the allowed grounds if refusing. Where a building has its own by-laws, we walk you through the current rules and sensible conditions before any answer goes back, which is where a property manager earns their place.
Talk to Dylan Henry
Dylan Henry is Business Development Manager at Lifestyle Property Agency. For a straight, no-obligation conversation about your property — how it is performing and how to get more from it — call Dylan on 0498 498 344 or email dh@lifestylepropertyagency.com.