Animal volunteers overwhelmed with the increase in pets being surrendered due to NSW renting laws

An Albury animal shelter is at capacity as strict rental laws and rising cost of living pressures bite. Find out how you can help.

The vice president of Albury Wodonga Animal Rescue, Rae Smith, has pleaded for help amid record numbers of pets being surrendered.

Albury animal shelters are pleading for help as pets are being surrendered at record rates this summer due to strict laws and the rising cost of living.

The Albury Wodonga Animal Rescue is currently running at total capacity as pet owners surrender their furry friends.

Vice president Rae Smith said the number of animals being surrendered this year was “gut-wrenching”.

“We’re getting inundated with people ringing up to surrender their pets because they can’t have them in rental accommodation,” she said.

“The law states that you can have pets, but you have to declare them, and then it’s up to the landlord or the real estate if they allow.”

In New South Wales, landlords can refuse to allow the tenant to keep a pet without providing a reason, unlike its counterpart Victoria, where rental providers must have a good reason to deny the request under a prescribed time frame and must apply to VCAT to refuse permission.

Assistance animals don't fall under the pets category.

Ms Smith said people had surrendered their pets after they moved to Albury or moved houses within the regional city.

“I’ve had situations from both kinds of people who lived elsewhere and came here and couldn’t get a rental as well as people who were in a rental that got sold, and they had to take another rental in the same town,” she said.

The Tenants’ Union of NSW Chief Officer Leo Patterson Ross said renters had no option if they were denied permission to keep a pet under the current laws.

“The refusal can be without any justification, or for reasons that don’t add up - it is still within the landlord’s power,” he said.

“We will eventually move away from unreasonable pets clauses.”

Late last year, the NSW government asked residents whether it should be easier for renters to keep pets in their homes.

Eighty-seven per cent said yes, while 13 per cent of the 18,018 voters said no.

In January this year the opposition vowed to change pet ownership laws for renters if Labor wins the March 2023 state election.

“NSW has the opportunity to address these issues properly and the upcoming election is a great opportunity for all candidates to show that they understand the pressures facing renters, including the difficulties in keeping pets,” Mr Patterson Ross said.

“Renting laws in all states, including NSW, don‘t yet work on the basis of renting being recognised as an essential service.

“Investment should be a means to the end of ensuring everyone in our community has a good, safe, stable and affordable home.”

The rising cost of living is also impacting whether people keep their pets or adopt a new animal.

Ms Smith said adoptions were staggering because many people were struggling financially.

“People get handouts for a lot of things, but there are very few handouts available for vet bills or desexing,” she said.

Avoiding desexing pets is another leading cause of the shelter’s capacity.

“Another reason for surrendering pets was an accidental litter. People need to have to plan and budget before giving a pet a home,” she said.

Ms Smith said the rescue, which does not euthanise pets, was doing everything it could to re-home them but was struggling to keep up with the costs.

“It’s gut-wrenching when pets are in need, but you can’t help,” she said.

“We take what we can, and when some get adopted, we take in some more, but we’re all volunteers.”

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