Pets in apartments

The Sydney Morning Herald reported on 19 October that owners living in an apartment block in Kings Cross had banded together to overturn a bylaw banning pets after “years of disputes and attempts to overturn a bylaw banning dogs and cats from the building.”

The matter had finally been brought before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) which ruled that the bylaw banning pets was “invalid, because it is harsh, unconscionable and oppressive”.

Various owners in the Elan building had attempted to overturn the ban through applications to the strata committee and NCAT but without success until this year. One owner had battled for 15-20 years to have pets allowed in the building.

It wasn’t until this year that the owner was able to argue to NCAT “that the owners’ corporation should not unreasonably withhold its approval of the keeping of an animal on a lot of the common property, especially with the NSW government’s changed 2016 regulations”.

The joy amongst the owners may however be short-lived as the strata committee has launched an appeal.

In the meantime, at another Sydney city apartment block an owner who did come clean about her dog is facing the prospect of him being banished. She is also likely to be taking a trip to NCAT.

 We’ll watch these cases with interest.