A Pet-Friendly Rental Market!

Pet bonds are legal after the 1st of December 2025! 

This new law change will make the rental market easier for pet owners to navigate.

Tenancy Services website explains:

• Tenants can keep a pet, if their tenancy agreement allows it or with written consent from the landlord.

• Landlords can only say no to a tenant's request to have a pet if they have a good reason (reasonable grounds).

• All tenants can be fully responsible for pet-related damage that is more than fair wear and tear.

• Landlords that consent to pets can have reasonable conditions included with their consent.

• Landlords can charge tenants a pet bond of up to 2 weeks’ rent. Only 1 pet bond is allowed at a time.

So, if you are a pet owner, just know that a landlord could require 4 weeks for your normal tenancy bond and an additional 2 weeks for your pet bond, if you secure a new tenancy after the 1st of December. Landlords have to be clear with you how much they are charging per bond.

What I find interesting is that:

• Disability assist dogs are excluded from the pet consent and pet bond requirements, so permission is not needed and a pet bond cannot be charged for these dogs.

• If a pet is no longer at the property, tenants can ask the pet bond to be refunded. If the tenant wants a new pet, a new pet bond can be charged.

Something for us property managers and landlords to be aware of!

And if you’re a landlord wondering about future tenants that might apply with more than one pet, or if you’re wondering about charging your existing tenants that have pets, just know now that you can’t. It’s one pet bond at a time- not one pet bond per pet and no charging your current tenants who have pets you have already agreed to.

More information on pet bonds here 

https://www.tenancy.govt.nz/law-changes/

Some people may love this change, some people may hate it, some people may not even care. For a long time, pet-owners have had to face a tougher rental market than those without pets. A furry-inclusive household has been up for much debate among landlord and property manager circles. Some people love pets, some people hate them, and some don't even care.

I would have considered myself one of those who didn't care. But I can understand how important pets can be to families.

When my husband and I were renting a couple years ago, we had a stray cat come into our lives around the time of expecting our first child.

Basically, how we met was one day, the cat walked right into our house as I sat on the couch, and she jumped on my belly, and starting purring against my unborn child. We named the cat Pikachu, after my favourite Pokemon. And thankfully the landlord let us keep her even though he probably didn't want us to.

Unfortunately and heartbreakingly, we lost our beautiful first born at 30 weeks gestation and she lived for 32 minutes exactly.

But this pet offered so much comfort to us in ways that no other human could. I could never have guessed how compassionate a cat could be.

We've had to re-home Pikachu now because we've moved house since, but I guess if pet bonds were a thing then, maybe we wouldn't have had to.

So, I get it, and I am here for it.