Pets in apartments is often the most contentious issue in strata living.
I recall one complex in Sydney where a cat was allowed to stay despite a prohibition on pets but not be replaced once it died. Some time later, a younger, slimmer version was being passed off as the original cat. (There is probably a market for identical replacement pets for strata purposes.)
The Qld Government is currently considering changes to make it more difficult for landlords to refuse requests for pets. The progress of these changes will depend on the State election results later this month.
The Seidler-designed The Horizon building in Darlinghurst, Sydney has been the setting for an almighty five year struggle between the owner of a dog (Angus) and the owners corporation with an estimated $500,000 of strata funds spent on legal fees. In the latest development, the NSW Court of Appeal has struck down their attempt to ban pets, finding that banning animals breaches strata scheme legislation which provides that by-laws can’t be “harsh, unconscionable or oppressive.”
The decision has broad implications for all strata schemes in NSW.
The Horizon is also well known for “the great kitty litter catastrophe of 2004” where a tenant hiding a cat put kitty litter down the toilet resulting in multiple apartments being flooded with sewage.
Cooper v The Owners – Strata Plan No 58068 [2020] NSWCA 250
Pets allowed in Darlinghurst's Horizon building after NSW Court of Appeal win
The curious incident of the dog in the Darlinghurst high-rise
Pet owners rejoice at new NSW strata model by-law
October 2020
© PELEN 2020
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