By Luke Voogt
Ferrets trashing a Geelong rental property was among 131 local complaints lodged to Consumer Affairs Victoria in 2016.
The State Government shared examples of complaints with The Indy this week as it plans to overhaul the Residential Tenancies Act.
In one anonymous complaint a landlord said their tenant’s horde of pets destroyed what was once an immaculate property.
The “animal lover” complainant said they had allowed the tenant to keep a ferret as a pet.
“It was agreed the animal would live outside in a large cage and not be allowed free range inside the house.”
But they had been deceived, they claimed.
“Some months later I discovered the tenants were keeping six ferrets, eight cats and two dogs inside the house,” they said.
“VCAT (Victorian Civil Administrative Tribunal) rules prevented me from evicting the tenant when they refused my request to remove the animals.”
The landlord had to wait until the lease expired to remove the tenant.
“I discovered the entire carpeted surfaces were completely soiled by animal urine and required total replacement,” they said.
“There was other damage to furnishings from cat clawing and what was once an immaculate property was now much less so.”
Unsurprisingly, they landlord stated: “I strongly object to giving any more rights to tenant regarding animals.”
The Government listed other example such as real estate agents charging exorbitant fees for tenants to access receipts or landlords trying to get out of returning bonds.
Geelong MP Christine Couzens said the complaints reaffirmed the importance of the Government’s overhaul.
“We need to make sure that we’re striking a fair balance between the rights of landlords and the rights of renters.”
The Government was seeking feedback from the public on options including restricting rental increases to once per year and banning “unreasonable” no pet clauses in tenancy agreements.
Ms Couzens said that as renter numbers continued to grow it was vital that the community had a say in shaping the new laws.
“If they have an experience to share, I’d encourage local renters and landlords to be a part of the conversation.”
