VICTORIA’S tenants union has called for changes to the state’s tenancy laws that would allow people to keep pets in rental homes without needing approval from their landlords.

In a submission to the Residential Tenancies Act Review, announced by the Victorian Government last June, the union argues that tenants should only have to notify landlords that they have a pet or intend to get a pet rather than ask for permission to have one.

Tenants Union of Victoria policy officer Yaelle Caspi said while the Act did not currently outlaw pets in rental homes, many landlords included pet bans in tenancy agreements, reasoning they may damage their property.

She said union wanted a clause added to the Act that would allow tenants to keep pets without requiring landlord approval, as in majority of cases a tenant’s bond payment would offer “more than sufficient” cover for any potential damage caused by an animal.

“The tenant‘s bond is kept as a safeguard to cover any potential damage to the property,” the submission reads.

“Tenants with pets have considerable difficulty accessing rental properties due to the large number of landlords who do not permit pets

“This issue also constrains tenants who are in existing properties from getting a pet.”

The union’s submission also calls for an overhaul of eviction laws, notably scrapping “no reason” evictions, and for rental increases to be capped at the consumer price index and banned on properties with outstanding repair orders.

Ms Caspi said the union also wanted law changes that would require landlords to obtain written permission from tenants to hold open for inspections, as is the case in Queensland.

“Auctions are also an unnecessary disturbance to the tenant, and there is no reason for them to take place on the premises,” the submission reads.

The submission argues that these changes would provide renters with more “choice, control and certainty” over their housing circumstances.

Ms Caspi said the union particularly wanted “no reason” evictions scrapped because they put tenants at risk of being unfairly evicted on retaliatory or discriminatory grounds.

She said despite the Residential Tenancies Act providing more than 20 reasons a landlord can give for evicting a tenant, landlords often threw out renters without providing a reason because they were allowed to do so by law.

The union also wants landlords to be required to provide more evidence when serving a eviction notices, and for a pre-eviction checklist and “reasonableness test” to be introduced for all evictions.

samantha.landy@news.com.au