Requesting a pet in a Queensland rental

Make the request complete

Use the current Request for approval to keep a pet in a rental property (Form 21). Describe the animal accurately and attach helpful information, such as registration or training details, where relevant.

A body corporate approval process may be separate from the tenancy request. Ask the agent to explain what applies to the property rather than assuming one approval covers both.

Read the response carefully

Keep the request, delivery evidence and response together. Conditions or a refusal must fit the legal framework. If the response seems unclear, ask for the reason in writing and check it against current RTA guidance.

Choose the process that matches the timing

If you already have a pet while applying for a property, disclose it through the rental application and make sure any approval is recorded in the tenancy agreement. The statutory Form 21 process is for asking to add a pet during an existing tenancy. In either situation, obtain written approval before bringing the animal home unless it is a working dog covered by the legislation.

For a request during the tenancy, complete a separate current Form 21 for each pet. Describe the species, breed or type, age, size and identifying details accurately. Keep an unchanged copy and proof of when the lessor or agent received it, because the response period runs from receipt rather than from the day you started filling out the form.

What must happen within 14 days

The property manager or owner must respond in writing within 14 days of receiving the request. The response must say whether the request is approved or refused and, as relevant, set out any approval conditions or a permitted refusal reason. The RTA says a request is taken to be approved if there is no response within 14 days or the response does not satisfy the legislative requirements.

Treat deemed approval carefully. Preserve the request and delivery evidence, calculate the date, and ask for advice if the response is late or incomplete before acting on an assumption. Body corporate approval, council requirements, park rules or house rules can operate separately, so tenancy approval does not erase another lawful restriction that applies to the property.

A refusal needs a permitted reason and an explanation

A preference for 'no pets' is not enough. Permitted reasons include an unreasonable number of animals, a property that lacks what is needed to humanely house the pet, damage likely to cost more than the bond to repair, an unacceptable health or safety risk, conflict with a law or applicable by-law or rule, or the tenant not accepting a reasonable proposed condition.

Other listed grounds cover an animal that is not legally a pet, a moveable-dwelling licence condition and anything prescribed by regulation. The written response should identify the specific ground and explain how it applies to this animal and property. Save photographs, fencing details, registration information or other evidence that directly answers the stated reason rather than arguing about pet ownership in general.

Reasonable and unreasonable approval conditions

A condition must relate to keeping the particular pet and be reasonable for the animal and premises. RTA examples include keeping an animal outside when it is not ordinarily kept indoors, keeping it generally in a resident's room in rooming accommodation, professional fumigation where the animal can carry infestations, or professional carpet cleaning where the pet is allowed indoors.

A condition cannot lawfully require the renter to buy from a nominated business, pay a penalty or incentive, pay higher rent, or provide extra bond or another security amount. Read the condition before accepting it and ask why it is necessary. If you agree, keep the response with the tenancy documents so the end-of-tenancy standard is clear long before moving day.

Units, townhouses and body corporate approval

A body corporate by-law may require a separate committee approval. Check the current by-laws before submitting Form 21 and, where possible, begin the body corporate request early. The tenancy decision still has a 14-day response period, while the committee process may take longer. An owner may refuse near the deadline if approval needed under a by-law has not arrived.

If the body corporate later approves the animal, the renter can apply to the lessor again with that evidence. A body corporate decision may have its own dispute route through the Office of the Commissioner for Body Corporate and Community Management. Keep the two processes in separate folders so it is always clear who made each decision and under which rules.

Responsibility after approval

Approval does not remove responsibility for nuisance or damage. Manage noise, waste, odour, escape risks and common-area rules; report and address damage promptly. Pet-caused damage is not fair wear and tear. At the end of the tenancy, comply with any lawful approval conditions and document the final condition with the entry report, exit report, photographs and receipts.

Approval for the same pet continues for the life of that approved animal at the property and is not ended merely because the agreement is renewed or the lessor changes. Keep the original approval. A different or additional pet needs its own request, and the existing approval does not automatically transfer to a new rental property.