To the WA Parliament, Minister for Lands, and all relevant decision-makers:

In a time of unprecedented rental pressure and housing instability, many pet owners (like myself) are being forced to move into apartments where pets are banned altogether, regardless of the animal’s behaviour, size, or impact. Even small, quiet, well-trained animals are refused without fair assessment.

In 2021, Western Australia’s residential tenancy laws were amended to introduce a more structured and transparent process for tenants seeking approval to keep pets. These changes included the implementation of standardised request forms and a regulated pet bond, acknowledging the important role that companion animals play in the wellbeing and daily lives of many West Australians.

However, these reforms remain incomplete. Current strata by-laws continue to permit buildings to impose blanket prohibitions on pets, regardless of the animal’s size, breed, behaviour, or the suitability of the premises. As a result, even where a landlord has granted consent for a tenant to keep a pet, that decision can be overridden entirely by the strata scheme.

Western Australia’s Strata Titles Act 1985 still permits strata schemes (apartment and unit buildings) to impose blanket bans on pets, leaving renters and owners with an impossible choice: secure housing, or their beloved companion animals.

Strata laws affect homeowners as well as renters.

In Western Australia, even if a person purchases a unit or apartment to live in as their primary residence, they can still be prohibited from keeping a pet due to existing strata by-laws. That means a homeowner (who has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars) can be denied the basic right to live with a beloved companion animal in their own property.

This is not just a tenants’ rights issue. It is a broader problem of personal freedom, outdated governance, and unreasonable interference with how people live in their own homes. No owner should be told they cannot share their home with a pet that causes no harm, damage, or nuisance to others.

Strata schemes should not be allowed to impose blanket bans that overrule both property ownership and responsible pet care. 

Other Australian states have already modernised their legislation:

NSW, VIC, and QLD now prohibit blanket pet bans in strata buildings.
These states have recognised that responsible pet ownership can be supported alongside fair and peaceful community living.

Western Australia is now falling behind.

We, the undersigned, call on the WA Government to:

1. Prohibit blanket bans on pets in strata schemes and rental apartments.
2. Require that all pet applications be considered individually, based on the pet’s behaviour and the owner's responsibility (not outdated assumptions).
3. Support fair, balanced by-laws that allow pets unless there are legitimate reasons for refusal (e.g. nuisance or safety concerns).

Pets are family. They provide companionship, emotional support, and stability. The current law is forcing unnecessary separation, hardship, and anxiety, particularly for vulnerable people who rely on their animals most.

Let’s bring WA’s laws in line with the rest of the country, and make sure everyone has a fair chance to live safely and happily with their pets, no matter where they live.

We urge you to sign and share this petition to help bring WA’s strata laws into the 21st century.

 

References:

WA Residential Tenancies Regulations 1989​

WA Strata Titles Act 1985​

WA Rent Reforms​

Understanding the Basics of Strata – Landgate Fact Sheet​

Strata Law and Reform – Landgate​

PICA Group Pets in Strata - Other States & Territories