Llama, kangaroo, swan, the possibilities are endless under the new pet laws – as long as they’re within reason
A REASONABLENESS test is all that stands between tenants owning a crocodile in a one-bedroom CBD apartment or a caravan of camels on a rural property
Northern Territory
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A REASONABLENESS test is all that stands between tenants owning a crocodile in a one-bedroom CBD apartment or a caravan of camels on a rural property.
Controversial changes to the Residential Tenancies Act 2019, which presume tenants have the right to keep pets on a property from January 2021, means tenants need to provide written notice to a landlord describing the proposed pet they plan to keep. If a landlord rejects the application, they can apply to the NT Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which will decide whether it’s reasonable or not to keep the proposed pet.
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The test assesses the type of animal, the nature of the rental home, and other considerations such as local government requirements and various restrictions.
It means even if a tenant in an urban area applies to have a crocodile less than 60cm long, or a person in the rural area requests to have a caravan of camels or a mob of emus, and is rejected by their landlord, they could keep the animals if the requests are deemed reasonable by NT CAT.
It is understood an exhaustive list of pets allowed and not allowed does not exist, given the reasonableness test applies to specific cases.
Therefore, if it were possible to import animals such as giraffes, elephants, zebras and more, it is within reason that Territorians would be able to keep them on a rental property.
A spokeswoman for Attorney-General Selena Uibo said the changes were to “strike a fair balance” between landlords and tenants.
Real Estate Institute of the Northern Territory chief executive Quentin Kilian, however, said the legislation showed landlords and investors “didn’t matter” in the eyes of the government.
“It says ‘we don’t care about you, you don’t matter’,” he said.
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“As a landlord who owns the property, who has invested hundreds of thousands into that property, I am at the mercy of a third party deciding whether it is reasonable to keep a zebra on my property or a llama in my lounge room.
“The majority of property investors in the Territory are single property owners investing in their future, and what the government is saying is, ‘we don’t care about your investment’.”
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