Pets in rental properties

Under the Residential Tenancy Act 1997 (Tas), tenants may request consent from a property owner (or agent) to keep a pet.

Property owners can only refuse a pet on reasonable grounds, and in most cases must apply to the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) to validate their refusal.

When Do the Act’s Pet Rules Apply to a Tenancy?

Generally, the Act applies to most residential tenancy agreements. Therefore, the Act’s rules about keeping a pet at a residential tenancy premises will apply to most residential tenancies. This includes:

most private residential tenancy agreements
most social housing tenancy agreements (i.e. between a social housing provider and a tenant)
most share houses where the entire property is rented under one residential tenancy agreement
most boarding premises
on-farm accommodation (primary production residential tenancy agreements)
tenancy agreements for police officers.

However, there are some tenancies to which the Act has limited or no application. In such cases, the Act’s rules about pets will not apply. For example, the Act does not apply to:

crisis accommodation that involves a residential tenancy agreement for a period of 3 months or less
any premises that are part of an educational institution (subject to limited exceptions)
an owner‑occupied boarding premises where the owner occupies the same building with 1 or 2 rented rooms
a residential tenancy agreement that is a residence contract within the meaning of the Retirement Villages Act 2004.

If you live in residential tenancy accommodation that is subject to the Act, then the rules about keeping a pet will apply.

Approved Form

Tenants who want to keep a pet in their rental property must submit a Request to Keep a Pet on Residential Premises Form 36R / 36S. This form provides the property owner or agent with the information they need to properly consider the request.

Information for Tenants

If you're a tenant wanting to keep a pet, there are clear steps you must follow before bringing an animal into your rental home.

Find everything you need to know on our Tenants page.

Information for Property Owners & Real Estate Agents

If you receive a request from a tenant to keep a pet, Tasmania’s laws set out how and when you must respond.

Learn more on our Property Owners and Agents page.

Information for Social Housing Providers

Social housing providers must follow the formal process for assessing pet requests.

Find more guidance on our Social Housing Providers page.

Fact sheets available for download

We’ve created a set of easy‑to‑read fact sheets to help tenants, property owners, agents, and social housing providers understand the pet‑approval process and their responsibilities. These resources summarise key information and can be downloaded for quick reference or shared with others.

Where to next

Upfront entry costs - renting

Last updated: 20 Mar 2026

This page has been produced and published by the Consumer Building and Occupational Services Division of the Department of Justice. Although every care has been taken in production, no responsibility is accepted for the accuracy, completeness, or relevance to the user's purpose of the information. Those using it for whatever purpose are advised to verify it with the relevant government department, local government body or other source and to obtain any appropriate professional advice. The Crown, its officers, employees and agents do not accept liability however arising, including liability for negligence, for any loss resulting from the use of or reliance upon the information and/or reliance on its availability at any time.