I’ve started this petition in hopes that it will change the NZ Tenancy laws regarding pets. The law currently states that a landlord can choose to not have any pets in the household they are renting out. I understand where some landlords are coming from but many of us with pets would be more than happy to pay a pet bond as they do in Australia. Our animals are family, they should be considered as such. The potential damage animals could do to a property is one of the main reasons why landlords often choose “no pets allowed” but many studies have shown that children are often the ones who do more damage. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world and Kiwis overwhelmingly consider their pets part of the family, according to the SPCA. The SPCA in North Taranaki has had 80 animals surrendered to them in the last year because of rental restrictions and in the Waikato, one in five calls to the SPCA are from owners who want to surrender their animals because they can't find a pet-friendly place. This is a massive issue for pet owners in New Zealand and something needs to change.