Dubbo pet owners say finding a rental is 'almost impossible' amidst housing shortage

"We wanted to rent at first to see how we liked the place, but everywhere we looked it said 'no pets, no pets, no pets'," Mr Leftleg said.

"I was in a fortunate enough position to have enough equity in the home that I owned on the coast so I was able to buy here. I have no idea how a young person could do this, I'm fortunate I bought my first house decades ago."

Wellington local Ally Moore knows the struggle of searching for a rental with a pet all too well. Earlier this year she was facing homelessness in Dubbo with three kids and a dog she was temporarily caring for.

Fortunately, her family was able to find a suitable property with an owner who was willing to rent it out to them even though it had originally been advertised as "no pets".

"Having now returned the dog to its owner there is no chance I would get one of my own in this market. It would be heartbreaking to have to rehome or surrender," she said.

"We were lucky to find a property manager that advocated for us, many wouldn't."

In NSW, landlords can refuse to allow a tenant to keep a pet without providing a reason - unless it's an assistance animal. Renters can negotiate with the landlord to get permission to get a pet, however, the final decision is up to the landlord.

The Tenants' Union say rules around pets in rentals in NSW can lead to situations where pets are abandoned by owners who can't find a home which will allow them and even owners staying in situations of family violence due to being unable to escape with their pet.

"We have lots of tenants who have pets and the main issue at the moment is the demand for rental properties is so high and the supply is so low," said Tamara Newstead, assistant services manager at the Tenant's Advocacy Service in Dubbo.

"Realistically the landlord has so many options for potential tenants that they have other options if they don't want someone with a pet.

Pets, for a lot of people, are their family members and for people living on their own pets can be their sole companion. We've seen cases where people have had to give their pet up and the effect it has on them is exceptionally detrimental."

The NSW Government is currently holding a consultation on whether the rules around pets in rentals should be changed to make it easier on tenants - a move which the the Tenants' Union of NSW have long been proponents for.

"The majority of time the concern for landlords is noise and nuisance, damage to the property and cleaning at the end of the tenancy - all of those things associated with pets," said Ms Newstead.

"But our argument is, those things are all standard requirements of a tenant anyway. And whether or not they keep a pet doesn't change that."

Mr Leftleg agrees the laws should be changed to make it easier for renters with pets to find a home to settle down in - and he's willing to put his own property on the line.

"The reality is, if my pet causes damage I will pay for that damage. Roxy has been part of our family for 10 years and there is no way in the world we would give her up," he said.

"Now that I'm a landlord and am looking to rent out the other property I have, I told the agent I'm definitely allowing pets."

The NSW Government's survey on keeping pets in rental homes will be open until 5 pm Friday, 2 December 2022.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: