Pets

Fact sheet - Pets

Easy guide - Pets

You need to ask us if you would like to keep a pet at your home. We may say yes or no. This is because some pets such as goldfish, are easy to care for. Other pets need more care, and some are not suitable to certain properties. For example, it is not a good idea to keep a big dog in a small yard.

Whether or not you can have a pet will depend on the type of pet you want to keep and the type of home you live in.

Can you keep a pet?

We will always say yes to you having an animal in your home if it is a guide dog.

In some cases we may say no to keeping pets. For example:

• If your home does not have a big enough back yard.
• If your yard does not have the right fencing for the pet.
• If your pet is dangerous. There is more information about this below.
• If your home is part of a group of homes where there are rules that don not allow pets. This might include blocks of units or flats.
• If the pet is aggressive and it stops people from entering your property. For example, if your dog barks loudly at the person who checks the electricity meter.
• If your pet needs a kennel licence. This would depend on the rules in your local council area. Most councils say you need a kennel licence if you have more than two animals.
• If you are breeding or racing the animals to make money. This is against the rules of your lease.
• If you have a pet that is not usually kept in a house or unit, such as a horse or a goat.
• If you have treated animals badly in the past.
• If the animals don not belong to you. Sometimes, we say it is OK to mind an animal for someone else for a short time. You need to ask us about this though.

There are rules if you do keep a pet

If you keep a pet in a Homes Tasmania home, there are rules you need to follow.

• Register the pet with the local council. This means that you have to tell the council about your pet and pay a fee. You need to do this every year.
• Make sure that your pet has a micro-chip. This helps the local council to find a pet if it goes missing.
• Look after the pet well. This includes feeding it, keeping it healthy and cleaning up after it.
• Make sure that your pet is well behaved. It must not:
  • disturb the neighbours
  • be a nuisance
  • be dangerous
  • damage the home.

If you break any of these rules, we may ask you to stop keeping a pet at your home. Sometimes we ask to have pets removed from a property. In some cases, we may ask you to move out.

You cannot keep dangerous dogs

It's important for people to feel safe in our community. In Tasmania, the law says that you can't have a dangerous dog as a pet. The law that applies is called the Dog Control Act 2000. Usually, local councils make sure people are obeying the rules of the Dog Control Act 2000.

If you are on the Housing Register

When you apply for a home with us, you need to tell us if you have a pet.

Having a pet means that you may need to wait longer for the right kind of home. This does not apply if you need a guide dog.

If we offer you a home, but it does not suit you because of your pet, you can say no to that home. This will only be reasonable if you have told us about the pet. This means that you will need to wait longer for a home.

For more information contact Housing Connect

Phone: 1800 800 588, 24 hours, seven days per week.

Office hours and locations.

Email: housingconnect@homes.tas.gov.au

Our contact details