Recent arbitration decisions have deemed the no-pets clause in tenancy agreements to be unreasonable and unenforceable. In June, the BC SPCA will publish a practical guide to creating pet-friendly buildings. The issue of pets in rental housing has been the source of much public debate. Except in rare cases, well-behaved pets are beneficial to humans. New regulations should ease bans.
Neglected pets can wreak havoc.
Dogs bark, cats scratch, fish tanks flood. Mud, feces, hair balls, fleas, allergies and holes dug in gardens are all bad enough, but note that even the world s sweetest and smallest hamster, out on the lam, can burn down an entire building by chewing through an electrical cord. Landlords are justified in not wanting to rent homes to bad pet owners. They are understandably dismayed at rulings by judges and recently, an arbitrator with the Residential Tenancy Office in Vancouver, that no-pets clauses are unreasonable and unenforceable. Given this trend, condominium councils may, like apartment owners, find themselves unable to enforce rules banning animals.