Animal Justice Party candidate Linda Paull on why allowing pets for all renters is crucial

By ERIN MODARO

Last week Labor unveiled a policy that would “streamline” applications for renters with pets. Both major parties are zoning in on tenancy laws ahead of the upcoming election. As the number of renters in Sydney is on the rise, making housing easier for renters with pets is a hot button topic for many Sydney residents.

Linda Paull from the Animal Justice Party (AJP) spoke with City Hub about why making a change to rental laws in NSW is so important.

In NSW, landlords are currently allowed to reject tenant applications to have pets in rental properties without suppling a reason. The Animal Justice Party introduced a bill to change tenancy laws that allow for blanket ‘not pet’ clauses.

The change would mean that landlords need to supply a reason for why they are not allowing pets in their property, and cannot refuse pets with no cause. Currently, this legislation already exists in Queensland, where landlords need to give a specific reason for why they don’t allow pets.

Paull thinks that the current model should be flipped, and allowing pets should be the default for landlords, with the option for landlords opt out if they have an adequate reason.

“If a renter wishes to include a pet in the rental, that should be the default position… instead of no pets being the default position” she said.

Election focus on renters

Paull is running in the upcoming NSW state election for the inner-city seat of Heffron. Heffron, which includes majors suburbs such as Waterloo, Alexandria, St Peter’s and Mascot, is home to a large population of renters.

With rental stress on the rise and vacancy rates at all time lows, allowing pets in rentals would remove barriers for many Sydney residents in accessing safe and affordable housing. A NSW government quick poll in December of 2022 found that 87% of respondents thought that it should be easier for renters to keep pets in their homes.

Paull explained that owning pets can often be a barrier to safe a secure housing, particularly for vulnerable people.

“People who suffer from homelessness and housing generally do come from the most vulnerable sectors of our community. And people like that often turn to animals for comfort,” Paull explained.

“There’s a complexity in a range of issues that are associated with homelessness or housing stress.”

One of the issues that the AJP’s bill would address is helping people who own pets escaping from domestic or family violence situations. In a submission to the NSW government on tenancy laws, the Tenant’s Union of NSW identified no pets laws as a major issue for people escaping violence in the home.

“People with animals often delay leaving violent circumstances because they are unable to find a new home where they can take their animals,” the union said in their submission. A 2020 study by Domestic Violence NSW found that 48% of respondents had clients that delayed leaving an abuser due to fear or threat of an animal being harmed.

Paull said that in NSW alone, 10,000 animals have been euthanised due to homelessness.

“That’s just a tragedy,” she said. “We want to stop that from happening.”

The Animal Justice Party has had success in changing tenancy laws in the past. In August 2021, MP Emma Hurst was successful in introducing amendments to strata laws that put an end to no pets policies in residential buildings.

Now, the AJP are turning their focus towards a suite of policies that would allow pet owners more freedom in a range of spaces. The party is pushing for an amendment to the Companion Animals Acts, to remove restrictions on pets in cafes, pubs and restaurants and expand rights to include entertainment venues where it is safe and practical to do so.

“We really believe strongly in the power of animals to transform people, particularly if you have a really close relationship with one. Pet[‘s] should be part of your family” Paull said.