Many potential buyers for a strata title home unit or apartment want to bring their beloved pet with them. But it’s not that simple. There is no blanket rule as to whether you will be allowed to, or not. Some groups are pet friendly, some may approve a pet on a ‘case by case’ basis, and some have an outright ‘no pets’ policy. Nobody would expect that a noisy or dirty animal would be appropriate, but many people have a dog or cat that remains inside the property sleeping or quietly going about its business.
In my opinion, the strata corporations with the ‘no pets’ policy are shooting themselves in the foot. Around 60% of people have pets and they will be a buyer one day. Many will be ‘owner/occupiers’ and potentially great assets to groups for a number of reasons. We are often asked ‘what is the ratio of owner/occupiers to tenants?’. The higher the owner occupier ratio, the more favourably the group is viewed, which will reflect in value, and vice a versa. Also, a restrictive policy reduces the buyer pool and the supply and demand theory will kick in, and the value will drop.
I recall a situation recently when an elderly couple wanted to buy into a Glenelg group and bring their geriatric dog with them to see out his days. They were rejected and the unit was subsequently sold to an investor who rented it to some country students. I’m led to believe that the lads, and their footy club mates, were delighted to have a Glenelg base so close to the pubs and nightlife. I’m pretty sure that the naysayers would have regretted that decision.
In the late 1990’s Strata Titles were superseded by Community Titles. This new title had many differences, with one being that they are much more pet friendly. A great example of this is Liberty Towers at Glenelg, a 12 storey, 250 apartment complex where one can keep a dog or a cat.
What will become interesting in the near future is if it remains legal for a strata corporation to prohibit a person from keeping a pet. In NSW, the new legislation states that a corporation cannot ‘unreasonably’ refuse an application to keep a pet. Times have changed and some of the old rules and regulations in relation to a person’s rights don’t conform to today’s standards and expectations..
To the strata committees out there: you are better off to have a nice person with a pet than potentially troublesome neighbours without one.
This is my personal view, brought about by the frustration of seeing buyers who would have made brilliant neighbours, turned away by the Strata Corporate Body. Opportunities lost for all.