In-built pet care is the latest apartment lure

Remember when there was a huge hoo-ha about whether pets could or should be banned from apartment blocks?

Go back a little further and you’ll recall a time when “no pets” rules were as much a default in strata as proxy farming and leaky bathrooms.

But now, pets are not only allowed, they are positively encouraged – and with almost 70 percent of Aussies sharing their homes with a companion animal, that just makes economic sense.

Enter the next phase of the pet revolution – built in pampering.  Developers of the Residences at Wahroonga Estate, a luxury apartment development on Sydney’s north shore, claim they will provide strata’s first free dedicated dog wash bay.

Australia boasts one of the highest pet ownership rates in the world with around 69 per cent of households owning pets, and dogs (48 per cent) being the most popular pet-residents. It is evident that dog-friendly amenities are no longer a luxury but a necessity.

“Our new pet-friendly development supports the notion that modern Australian households recognise dogs and cats as integral members of the family,” says Capital Corporation Director Jim Hunter.

He added that the development had attracted a lot of interest from pet-owners, particularly downsizers looking to relocate to a luxury apartment with generous gardens, easy access to bushland and in-ground amenities for dogs.

“The development’s large private landscaped areas set next to 25 ha of serene natural bushland offer pet owners the space, comfort and convenience they might have been accustomed to in a large home,” Mr Hunter added.

The Residences at Wahroonga Estate is set to open in 2027 and will comprise 128 one, two and three-bedroom luxury and, it seems, pet-friendly apartments.