About reasonable conditions

If a landlord approves a pet consent request, they can set requirements for the tenant to meet. These are called reasonable conditions.

A condition must be reasonable (fair) and consider:

• the nature of the property
• the type of pet it applies to.

A reasonable condition can be:

• set out in the tenancy agreement, or 
• included with the landlord’s written response to the pet consent request.

Examples of reasonable conditions

The Residential Tenancies Act 1986 has a list of possible examples of what reasonable conditions could be.

Reasonable conditions will be different for each rental situation. The landlord should set conditions that are suitable for the situation and make sure they are practical and fair.

Examples of a reasonable condition can be:

• the tenant must pay a pet bond of up to 2 weeks’ rent
• the carpet must be cleaned to a professional standard at the end of the tenancy (if the pet is allowed indoors)
• the pet must be lawfully restrained while the landlord lawfully enters the property.

Every tenancy is different, and these are general examples only. They will not be appropriate or reasonable in every situation.

Pet bond

Residential Tenancies Act 1986 — NZ Legislation(external link)

If a tenant thinks a condition is not reasonable

If a tenant thinks a condition is not reasonable, we recommend they talk to the landlord to try and reach an agreement.

If the tenant and landlord cannot reach an agreement, either party can apply for mediation or to the Tenancy Tribunal.

Before applying, we suggest you gather evidence such as:

• pet temperament, for example character references for the animal
• training records
• references
• any other document or evidence that supports your case.

If a tenant does not meet the conditions

If a tenant does not meet the reasonable conditions the landlord sets, the landlord can take steps to cancel the pet consent. The landlord must follow the disputes process to do this.

Disputes process