I’ve listened to your podcast and I know how much you advocate for pet owners. Unfortunately, I had a very bad experience with a yapping dog. The dog did not stop yapping until the resident returned home. The dog could be yapping all day and into the night. Neighbours from the same strata plan and neighbouring addresses complained about it. They called the police, local council and RSPCA. They were told to “talk to strata”.
Talking to the tenant was pointless. They straight up denied the existence of a dog. Then they said the non-existent dog belonged to a relative.
In the end, the property owner evicted the tenant for keeping a pet without seeking permission. (There were other issues: illicit drug use, property damage.) It was faster to get the problem resolved with an eviction.
If it was left to “strata”, we would issue the breach of by-law notice, apply for mediation and go to NCAT. There would have been months of relentless dog yapping.
fee-free rental payments: totally agree. It is obscene that anyone would consider charging a transaction fee for paying rent.
Paying for your own background check does not seem right. They’re exploiting tenants because tenants don’t have a lot of choice right now.