Pets in WA Rentals: Form 25, the 14-Day Rule & When Landlords Can Say No
Can a WA landlord refuse a pet? Learn the Form 25 process, 14-day deadline, automatic approval rules, pet conditions and the $350 pet bond.
The rules around pets in Western Australian rental properties have changed substantially.
For landlords, the old approach of simply writing “no pets” on an advertisement or tenancy agreement and treating that as the end of the matter is no longer a reliable way to deal with pet requests.
For tenants, the changes do not mean you can simply arrive home with a Labrador and tell the landlord afterwards.
In most cases, a tenant still needs the landlord’s permission.
What has changed is how the landlord can make that decision.
There is now a formal process involving Form 25, a strict 14-day response period, limited grounds for refusing a pet, rules governing the conditions a landlord can impose and, in some cases, a decision by the WA Commissioner for Consumer Protection.
And there is a particularly important deadline for landlords:
Ignore a valid pet request for 14 days and the request can be automatically approved. Form 25 Pet Request; Renting with pets
Here is how the current WA system works.
Important: This article provides general information about residential tenancies in Western Australia and is not legal advice. Always check the current WA Consumer Protection requirements for your particular circumstances.
Can tenants have pets in WA rental properties?
In most cases, tenants can keep a pet in a WA rental property, but they must first obtain the landlord’s permission.
A landlord can no longer refuse every pet request simply because they would prefer the property to remain pet-free.
There are specific grounds on which a request can be refused.
Some allow the landlord to refuse without obtaining approval from the Commissioner for Consumer Protection.
Other grounds require the landlord to apply to the Commissioner and demonstrate why the refusal should be allowed. Renting with pets; Commissioner’s pet-request guidelines
That distinction is extremely important.
What is Form 25?
Form 25 — Pet Request Form is the prescribed form tenants use when asking permission to keep a pet during an existing tenancy.
The tenant completes the relevant section, provides information about the proposed pet, keeps a copy and gives the form to the landlord or property manager.
Once the landlord receives it, the clock starts.
WA Consumer Protection says the landlord has 14 days, starting the day after receiving the request, to make a decision and notify the tenant.
Where Commissioner approval is required for a refusal or proposed condition, the landlord must also make that application within the applicable 14-day period. Form 25 Pet Request; Renting with pets
This is not a request you want sitting unanswered in your inbox.
What can the landlord do after receiving Form 25?
Broadly, the landlord has three options:
- approve the pet;
- approve the pet subject to permissible conditions; or
- refuse the pet on an available legal ground.
The response must be made in writing.
The complication is that not every condition or refusal can be imposed solely by the landlord.
Depending on the reason, Commissioner approval may be required. Commissioner’s pet-request guidelines
What happens if the landlord doesn’t respond within 14 days?
This is probably the most important administrative rule in the entire pet-request process.
If the landlord fails to respond correctly within the 14-day period, the tenant’s request can be automatically approved.
The same problem can arise where the landlord wants to refuse the pet on grounds requiring Commissioner approval but fails to make the required application within the 14-day timeframe. Commissioner’s pet-request guidelines
For self-managing landlords, that means a Form 25 should be treated as a time-sensitive document.
A simple workflow is:
Received → record date → assess request → check strata/local restrictions → decide whether Commissioner involvement is required → respond in writing → retain everything.
Do not rely on remembering when the tenant sent it.
Record the date immediately.
Can a WA landlord refuse a pet?
Yes.
But the landlord’s ability to refuse is now restricted.
There are circumstances where Commissioner approval is not required.
For example, Consumer Protection says a landlord can refuse where keeping the pet would contravene another law or an applicable strata rule. Renting with pets
Other proposed refusals require an application to the Commissioner.
Examples identified by Consumer Protection include circumstances where:
- the premises are unsuitable for the particular pet;
- there are already too many pets at the property;
- likely pet damage could cost more than the security bond to repair;
- the pet would create an unacceptable health or safety risk;
- keeping the pet would cause undue hardship to the landlord or another tenant; or
- the animal is a dangerous dog under the Dog Act 1976. Renting with pets
Simply saying “I don’t want animals in my investment property” is not the same thing as establishing one of the recognised grounds.
“The property isn’t suitable” needs evidence
This is where the published Commissioner decisions become particularly useful.
They show that the process is not merely theoretical.
Consumer Protection publishes decisions made on actual pet applications.
For example, pet refusals have been upheld where inadequate fencing made a property genuinely unsuitable for a dog.
In another decision, existing garden damage helped establish that likely damage from the requested pet could exceed the bond.
But other landlord applications have failed.
Arguments based merely on carpeted floors, lack of grass or the fact that a property was newly renovated have not automatically been enough to justify refusing a pet.
The Commissioner considers the circumstances and evidence of the particular application. Commissioner’s decisions
That gives landlords a useful lesson:
Evidence beats assumptions.
If you believe a property genuinely cannot accommodate a particular animal, document exactly why.
Can the landlord put conditions on keeping a pet?
Yes, but again there are rules.
Consumer Protection says landlords can impose certain conditions without Commissioner approval, including reasonable conditions dealing with:
- the number of animals kept at the property; and
- cleaning, maintenance or fumigation associated with keeping the pet. Renting with pets; Commissioner’s pet-request guidelines
Other conditions require Commissioner approval.
Consumer Protection gives examples such as requiring a pet to remain outside or requiring a bird to remain in a cage. Renting with pets
So landlords should resist the temptation to create a long list of homemade “pet rules” and assume every condition is automatically enforceable.
Check whether the proposed condition falls within what you can impose directly.
If not, Commissioner approval may be required.
Can a landlord charge a pet bond in WA?
Yes.
For an ordinary residential tenancy, a landlord can currently require a pet bond of up to $350, regardless of the number of pets.
The pet bond can be used for fumigation or pet-related damage and must be lodged with the Bonds Administrator.
The $350 maximum applies to the pet bond as a whole — it is not $350 per animal. Renting with pets
For example:
One dog: maximum pet bond $350.
Two dogs and a cat: maximum pet bond is still $350, not $1,050.
That is separate from the ordinary residential security bond.
What about an existing pet bond?
The residential pet bond maximum increased to $350 under reforms that took effect in 2026.
That does not mean landlords can simply demand an immediate top-up from every existing tenant.
Consumer Protection says an existing residential pet bond can be increased to the new amount:
- at the next rent increase; or
- when an additional pet request is approved. Renting with pets
If collecting or increasing a bond, landlords should also remember that bond money is regulated.
It isn’t money the landlord simply keeps in their personal bank account.
How quickly must a pet bond be lodged?
The landlord is responsible for lodging rental security bonds.
Consumer Protection says bond money must be lodged with Bonds Administration as soon as possible and no later than 14 days after the tenant pays it.
The lodgement information needs to identify the tenants and amounts involved, including any pet bond. Lodging a bond
That gives landlords two different 14-day rules worth remembering:
14 days to deal with a Form 25 pet request.
No later than 14 days after payment to lodge bond money.
They concern completely different obligations.
Are assistance animals treated as pets?
No.
This distinction is important.
Consumer Protection says an assistance animal is not treated as a pet under these provisions.
Assistance animals are trained to assist a person with a disability and must meet the applicable requirements.
A tenant with a qualifying assistance animal cannot be treated in the same way as someone making an ordinary pet request, and a pet bond cannot be charged for an assistance animal. Renting with pets
Landlords should therefore establish whether they are actually dealing with a pet before applying the ordinary pet-request process.
What about strata properties?
Strata adds another layer.
A landlord’s obligations under residential tenancy law do not magically override valid strata requirements.
Consumer Protection says a pet request can be refused where strata by-laws prohibit the animal.
If the strata scheme requires Council of Owners approval, that requirement may also affect the request.
Tenants considering a pet in a strata property should ideally obtain and review the relevant by-laws.
Landlords should do the same before responding to Form 25 rather than discovering the restriction on day 13. Renting with pets
What is the tenant responsible for?
Permission to keep a pet does not mean the tenant stops being responsible for what the animal does.
Consumer Protection states tenants remain responsible for matters including:
- cleaning pet mess;
- nuisance such as excessive barking; and
- repairing damage caused by the pet. Renting with pets
Pet-related damage is also different from ordinary fair wear and tear.
If a cat claws curtains, a dog damages a door or an animal damages landscaping, the tenant may be responsible for rectifying that damage.
That makes the Property Condition Report and good photographs at the start of the tenancy particularly valuable.
If there is a later disagreement about whether an animal damaged something, evidence of its original condition matters.
What if a tenant keeps a pet without permission?
The reforms have not removed the requirement to seek permission.
A tenant who is required to obtain permission cannot simply bypass the process.
Consumer Protection’s tenancy-ending guidance identifies having pets without permission as an example of a tenancy breach for which a landlord may issue Form 20 — Notice to Tenant of Breach of Agreement.
The tenant generally has 14 days to remedy a Form 20 breach before further termination steps may become available. Landlord ending a tenancy
For the broader breach process, see LandlordLogic’s Breach Notice WA: Form 20 — How and When to Use It guide.
A practical Form 25 checklist for landlords
When a pet request arrives:
1. Record the date received.
The 14-day period starts from the day after receipt.
2. Read the entire request.
Don’t decide based only on “dog”, “cat” or the animal’s size.
3. Check the property.
Consider fencing, available space, safety and other property-specific factors.
4. Check strata requirements if applicable.
Do this immediately rather than near the response deadline.
5. Decide whether you have legitimate concerns.
Separate evidence-based concerns from a general preference not to have pets.
6. Determine whether Commissioner approval is required.
This applies to certain refusal grounds and conditions.
7. Respond in writing within 14 days.
Do not let the deadline expire accidentally.
8. Apply to the Commissioner within the required timeframe where necessary.
A letter telling the tenant you intend to refuse the pet is not a substitute for making the required application.
9. Deal with any pet bond correctly.
The residential maximum is currently $350, not $350 per pet.
10. Keep the paperwork.
Retain Form 25, your response, evidence, Commissioner correspondence and bond records with the tenancy file.
A practical checklist for tenants
Tenants should also use the process properly.
Before bringing the pet home:
- check whether strata or other restrictions may apply;
- complete Form 25 accurately;
- provide useful information about the animal;
- keep a copy of the request;
- keep evidence showing when it was delivered;
- wait for the process to run before assuming permission;
- understand any lawful conditions; and
- remember that you remain responsible for nuisance and damage caused by the animal.
The fact that landlords have fewer grounds to refuse pets does not remove the tenant’s responsibilities.
The biggest mistake landlords can make
The easiest mistake is doing nothing.
A self-managing landlord receives Form 25 on Monday.
Work becomes busy.
They mean to look at it on the weekend.
They need to check the strata rules.
Then they forget about it.
Two weeks disappear very quickly.
Under the current WA rules, failing to respond within the required timeframe can result in the request being automatically approved. Form 25 Pet Request; Commissioner’s pet-request guidelines
So the practical rule is simple:
Treat Form 25 like a deadline, not correspondence.
You don’t necessarily have to approve every pet.
You do have to follow the correct process if you want your decision to stand.
For the current official rules and forms, use WA Consumer Protection — Renting with pets and the official Form 25 Pet Request page.
Managing your own WA rental? Explore LandlordLogic’s practical WA guides and free resources for tenancy notices, inspections, repairs, bonds and evidence — written to help landlords understand the process before a small problem becomes an expensive one.