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Topic
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A block of flats has an owner who has decided to advertise a dog minding business in a one bedroom flat. The owner owns two dogs. No permission was sought from the Council or Owner’s Corporation. Where do the other owners stand?
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This is a change of use issue and there are all sorts of restrictions on that, both (potentially) at the level of strata rules and council planning.
My first thought would be to check your rules (by-laws) about keeping animals and/or running businesses.
If you have no specific rules on these issues, the “model” by-laws apply.
Also there are insurance issues to consider as your block may well not be covered.
And I’m pretty sure the local council will have a view too.
And, just putting my common sense hat on for a second, your secretary or strata manager should be writing to this person saying this business is entirely inappropriate for a block of units.
The opinions offered in these Forum posts and replies are not intended to be taken as legal advice. Readers with serious issues should consult experienced strata lawyers.
I think I can add to this
A friend of mine does the occasional dog minding at his flat and has been doing so for 3 years. He does not run a business, but gets the bookings through an agency, a totally different thing
The home pet minding regulations in Vic are very clear.
It is necessary to talk to the Council about this first so that they can come out to inspect the flat , and also for the minder to pay for a multi dog permit if there should be more than one dog.
Also the policy of the OC needs to be pet friendly, which it is where he lives and many own pets in his block. He has done all this and has full compliance.
He is meticulous about the dog he will mind and meets them first to ensure that they are quiet and friendly. Most of his neighbours enjoy meeting them except for one who is an animal hater (and people hater for that matter 🙂 ) but he is always outvoted.
btw insurance is partly the responsibility of the agency and the minder only.
Hope this clarifies things a bit
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