Only tenants on the tenancy agreement can request consent to keep a pet. You do not need agreement from anyone else living at the property to keep a pet, but it is important they know:

• all tenants on the tenancy agreement are responsible for pet-related damage
• to document any conversations or decisions made together.

What to discuss with other tenants

All tenants listed on the tenancy agreement are responsible for pet-related damage. 

This means:

• If the pet bond is not enough to cover costs, general bond can be used from all tenants who are on the tenancy agreement.
• If the total amount of general bond is not enough to cover costs, the landlord can recover the extra costs from any or all tenants on the tenancy agreement. 

We recommend you talk to the other tenants on the tenancy agreement about this.

Pet-related damage

We also recommend you discuss these points with everyone else living at the property.

• Who will pay the pet bond (if the landlord asks for one).
• Who will be responsible for pet-related damage (if any).
• Allergies and suitable pets.
• Areas of the property that are off-limits for the pet.

Document conversations or decisions

It is a good idea to document any conversations or agreements in writing. This could help resolve any disputes that may come up later on. 

Example

One tenant gets a pet and agrees to take full responsibility for any pet damage. The pet causes damage and the costs to repair the damage are more than the pet bond.

The tenant refuses to pay for the damage, even though they had agreed to take full responsibility.

All tenants on the tenancy agreement are responsible for the damage. This means the landlord can go to the Tenancy Tribunal to recover costs from all tenants.

If the Tenancy Tribunal makes a decision and the tenants still disagree, they can go to the Disputes Tribunal. The Disputes Tribunal will decide whether they will accept the written agreement.

Disputes process

Disputes Tribunal — New Zealand Ministry of Justice(external link)

Pet-related damage