{"id":495855,"date":"2026-06-26T02:17:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T02:17:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/495855\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T02:17:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T02:17:15","slug":"landlord-told-auckland-tenants-no-dog-allowed-but-tribunal-says-pup-can-stay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/495855\/","title":{"rendered":"Landlord told Auckland tenants no dog allowed, but tribunal says pup can stay"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tribunal adjudicator Brett Carter agreed and ruled Woody could stay.<\/p>\n

According to a recent decision by the tribunal, the tenants, who have name suppression, described Woody as gentle, confident and good with people, and that \u201cno barking has been observed\u201d. <\/p>\n

They called him a \u201cwell-mannered and polite pup\u201d.<\/p>\n

The couple moved into the property in March 2026, believing it would be suitable for a dog. <\/p>\n

Their tenancy agreement required them to seek written consent before getting a pet, although the landlord could impose reasonable conditions and require a pet bond.<\/p>\n

Days after moving in, they asked for permission to get a dog.<\/p>\n

The landlord, who also has name suppression, declined the request, saying the property was not suitable for a dog of Woody\u2019s size. <\/p>\n

They also cited the townhouse\u2019s proximity to neighbouring properties and concerns that a dog could become a nuisance.<\/p>\n

The property is subject to a Residents Society Constitution requiring that pets do not cause a nuisance to neighbours.<\/p>\n

The tenants responded by offering conditions, including paying a pet bond, addressing any complaints from neighbours and installing a baby gate to prevent the dog from going upstairs.<\/p>\n

Despite the landlord\u2019s refusal and the ongoing dispute, the couple adopted Woody from the M\u0101ngere SPCA.<\/p>\n

The SPCA had no concerns about the suitability of the property, the decision stated.<\/p>\n

Under pet consent rules<\/a> introduced in December last year, tenants can make a written request to keep a pet and landlords can not unreasonably withhold consent. Landlords may refuse permission, but only where reasonable grounds exist.<\/p>\n

The changes were intended to reverse the previous presumption against pets in rental properties and make it easier for tenants to keep them, while allowing landlords to impose reasonable conditions such as pet bonds.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven Parliament\u2019s clearly signalled reversion of the status quo to now enable tenants to keep pets and the need to focus on the suitability of the particular pet and premises, reasonable grounds cannot be established by theoretical possibilities or generalised concerns alone,\u201d Carter said in the decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny grounds relied upon by a landlord should be supported by a rational evidential foundation, properly connected to the particular pet, the premises, and the relevant circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carter said the landlord\u2019s concerns about Woody\u2019s wellbeing in a smaller property were \u201cgenuinely held\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201c[However], the tenants consider that the premises are suitable for this dog, particularly given their intention to ensure that the dog is regularly exercised and supervised while they work.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the SPCA also deeming the property suitable, Carter ruled Woody could remain.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn making this decision, I note that the tenants have breached the Residential Tenancies Act by adopting the dog without permission from the landlord. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat is an unlawful act, for which the landlord could have sought exemplary damages.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause these rules are new, the landlord has decided not to bring a claim against the tenants. That decision is consistent with the landlord\u2019s balanced and sensible approach to this matter from the outset.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carter imposed conditions on the tenants, including immediately paying a pet bond equivalent to two weeks\u2019 rent and having the carpets professionally cleaned at the end of the tenancy.<\/p>\n

Brianna McIlraith is a Queenstown-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the lower South Island. She has been a journalist since 2018 and has had a strong interest in business and financial journalism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tribunal adjudicator Brett Carter agreed and ruled Woody could stay. According to a recent decision by the tribunal,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":495856,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[25445,51,3013,198,9219,10054,111,43,139,7805,69,126099,312,2069,17292,6859,6847],"class_list":["post-495855","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-allowed","tag-auckland","tag-but","tag-can","tag-dog","tag-landlord","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-no","tag-nz","tag-pup","tag-says","tag-stay","tag-tenants","tag-told","tag-tribunal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495855","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=495855"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/495855\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/495856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=495855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=495855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=495855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}