Free tool
Rental pet resume
One page that makes the case for your pet: who they are, their vaccinations and registration, how they behave when you are out, and a previous landlord who will vouch for them. Fill it in below, add a photo, and save it as a PDF for your application.
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Fill it in, or print it blank and write on it. Your answers and photo stay in this browser and are never sent anywhere.
What a landlord is really asking
Behind almost every no is one of four worries. A good resume answers each one before it is raised.
- Will it damage the place? Age, training and toilet habits, where the pet sleeps, and an offer to clean professionally at the end of the lease.
- Will the neighbours complain? Barking, and what happens when you are out. A walker or daycare arrangement is worth a line.
- Is it looked after? Vaccinations, parasite prevention, registration and a named vet. Attach the certificates.
- Will this tenant take responsibility? The previous landlord's reference. It carries more weight than anything else on the page.
How asking for a pet works in your state
Every state and territory now has a formal process for asking to keep a pet in a rental. In most of them the landlord has a deadline, can only say no on set grounds or through a tribunal, and cannot charge extra bond. The formal request is the legal step. Send the resume with it.
These processes are for tenancies. When you are still applying for a property, an agent choosing between applicants is a different situation, and that is where the resume does the most work.
New South Wales21 days to respond
- How to ask
- The NSW pet application form, signed by every tenant on the agreement. These rules started on 19 May 2025.
- If they don't reply
- Within 21 days: the pet is automatically approved, without conditions.
- Saying no
- Only on the listed grounds, such as more than four animals, unsuitable fencing or space, likely excessive damage, strata or council rules against it, or the landlord living at the property.
- Conditions
- Reasonable ones only: keeping the animal outside if that suits the species, or professional carpet cleaning or fumigation at the end of the lease.
- Bond and rent
- The landlord cannot raise the bond or the rent because of the pet.
Victoria14 days to respond
- How to ask
- The Consumer Affairs Victoria pet request form, one per pet.
- If they don't reply
- Within 14 days: you can keep the pet.
- Saying no
- The rental provider has to apply to VCAT within the 14 days and tell you they have done so. They cannot simply say no.
- Conditions
- Can be negotiated, and should be put in writing.
- Bond and rent
- No pet bond. An extra bond for a pet is not allowed.
Queensland14 days to respond
- How to ask
- RTA Form 21, Request for approval to keep a pet in a rental property.
- If they don't reply
- Within 14 days: the request is automatically approved.
- Saying no
- Only on the listed grounds, such as too many animals, no suitable fencing or space, damage beyond what the bond would cover, a health and safety risk, or a body corporate by-law.
- Conditions
- Reasonable ones, such as keeping the pet outside if it is not usually an indoor animal, or professional carpet cleaning and fumigation at the end of the tenancy.
- Bond and rent
- You cannot be asked for extra rent or a bigger bond as a condition.
Western Australia14 days to respond
- How to ask
- Form 25, the Pet Request Form.
- If they don't reply
- Within 14 days: you may keep the pet.
- Saying no
- Only in limited circumstances. Most refusals need the Commissioner’s approval, apart from things like the pet breaking a law or strata by-law.
- Conditions
- Limits on numbers and cleaning or fumigation without approval. Stricter ones, like keeping the pet outside, need the Commissioner’s approval.
- Bond and rent
- A pet bond of up to $350 is allowed, lodged with the Bond Administrator. It does not apply to assistance animals.
South Australia14 days to respond
- How to ask
- The application for approval to keep a pet on rental premises. The regulator suggests attaching a pet resume.
- If they don't reply
- Within 14 days: the request is taken as approved, including when the response does not meet the legal requirements.
- Saying no
- Only on the listed grounds, such as an unreasonable number of animals, unsuitable premises, a health and safety risk, or the law.
- Conditions
- Reasonable ones, such as keeping the pet outside if it is not an indoor animal, restraining it when the landlord visits, or professional carpet cleaning at the end.
- Bond and rent
- No separate pet bond.
Tasmania14 days to respond
- How to ask
- The approved pet request form from CBOS, with the pet’s type, breed, sex, size and registration or microchip number. These rules started on 20 March 2026.
- If they don't reply
- Within 14 days: the landlord is taken to have given consent.
- Saying no
- The landlord has to refuse on the approved form and apply to TASCAT within the 14 days. Restricted or dangerous dogs are the exception.
- Conditions
- Must be reasonable and agreed to by you.
- Bond and rent
- No extra rent or bond for the pet.
Australian Capital Territory14 days to respond
- How to ask
- A written request to the lessor.
- If they don't reply
- Within 14 days: the lessor is taken to consent.
- Saying no
- The lessor has to apply to ACAT within the 14 days for permission to refuse.
- Conditions
- Reasonable conditions about how many animals, or about cleaning and maintenance, without ACAT. Anything else needs ACAT’s approval.
- Bond and rent
- No pet bond. The total bond stays capped at four weeks’ rent.
Northern Territory14 days to respond
- How to ask
- Written notice to the landlord before the pet arrives, for leases signed from 1 January 2021. This is notice, not a request.
- If they don't reply
- Within 14 days: you can keep the pet.
- Saying no
- The landlord has to object in writing and apply to NTCAT, which decides whether the pet is reasonable for the premises.
- Conditions
- The pet has to be reasonable for the character and size of the property.
- Bond and rent
- Pet bonds are not permitted.
Checked against each official source in September 2026. General information, not legal advice. Assistance animals are generally not treated as pets and follow separate rules. Strata or body corporate by-laws and council limits can apply on top of all of this.
Common questions
- What should a rental pet resume include?
- A photo; the basics (species, breed, age, size, desexing and microchip); vaccination and council registration; training and how the pet behaves when left alone; how you will look after the property; and at least one reference from a previous landlord or property manager. Attach the certificates rather than just listing them.
- Does a pet resume replace my state’s pet request form?
- No. In most states the formal request is its own form, and that is the step with legal weight. The resume is the evidence you send with it. South Australia’s regulator suggests attaching one. At the application stage, before any lease exists, the resume is what an agent weighs when comparing you with other applicants.
- Can a landlord say no to a pet?
- It depends on the state. In most states and territories a landlord now has to respond within a deadline, and can only refuse on limited grounds or with a tribunal’s approval. In several states, not answering in time counts as approval. The state-by-state summary on this page links to each official source. It is general information, not legal advice.
- Can I be charged a pet bond?
- In most of Australia, no. Western Australia allows a capped pet bond. NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory do not allow an extra bond or higher rent because of a pet. Check the official page for your state, because these rules have changed several times recently.
- Do I need to create an account?
- No. There is no sign-up and nothing is sent anywhere. Your answers and photo stay in your own browser so a reload does not lose them, and the Clear button removes them. Use "Print or save as PDF" to attach the resume to an online application.
While you are here
- Council registration due dates — moving councils is a good moment to check your registration is current.
- Pet sitter information sheet — the same fill-in-and-print format, for whoever minds them during the move.
- Pet age calculator — their age in human years, and the life stage that changes their care.
Next time, it fills itself in
Every field on this resume is something Household Pet already keeps: vaccinations, registration, microchip, vet and weight, kept up to date as they happen. When the next rental comes up, the records are ready instead of in a drawer, and you can export a vet report PDF to attach with it.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Tenancy law changes, and the official sources linked above are the ones to rely on. For advice about your own situation, contact your state’s tenants’ advice service or a lawyer.