New laws about pets in rental properties

New laws about pets in Victorian rental properties start on Monday 2 March 2020.

From Monday 2 March 2020, 

  • a tenant must ask the landlord before they keep a pet on the rented property, using Consumer Affairs Victoria's approved form
  • the landlord cannot unreasonably refuse consent
  • the landlord has 14 days from receiving the request to apply to VCAT for permission to refuse, or consent is taken to have been given. 

Tenants who already have a pet are not affected, whether they have their landlord’s consent or not.

Part of a reform package

The changes affecting pets in rental properties are part of wider reforms under the Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2018. 

Most of the reforms start on 1 July 2020 but these changes are starting early, after the Victorian Parliament passed the Consumer Legislation Amendment Act on 3 December 2019.

More information

For information about the reforms to renting rights and responsibilities, including keeping pets on rental properties, see Consumer Affairs Victoria’s website.
To find out about making an application to VCAT, see our Renting page.