Owning pets can be a great experience, they are loyal and loving and provide many hours of entertainment for both adults and kids. However, you may not know that this is not always the case in strata units. Strata unit owners often face strict rules about keeping pets in their units, with some even prohibiting them altogether. There are many reasons why these restrictions exist, but one of the main ones is due to insurance requirements for strata buildings; it’s more likely that strata policies will exclude damages caused by pet-related incidents than other types due to an increased risk of injury or illness when there are animals living in close proximity to humans. If you are thinking of moving into a strata unit, it is important to get a strata inspection in Sydney so that you know early where you stand regarding your pet.
Usually, strata unit owners are required to seek approval from the governing body of their building before they can keep a pet in their home. This process may seem intimidating, but with some patience and guidance it’s easy to get through this step successfully, without ending in heart break.
The first thing that every Strata owner should do when thinking about getting an animal into their apartment (or even having one already) is checking if there are any rules regarding animals in the bylaws or covenants. You can learn this easily through a strata report in Sydney. If there aren't then it's possible that no written consent will be needed at all; however, once these documents have been read over, you can always contact the Strata Company for any clarifications needed.
The second thing a person should do is speak to their neighbours and let them know about the animal they plan on getting, before it becomes a problem. It's best not to keep an animal as a surprise since many people may already have allergies or just don't want animals around at all. Most strata units will require written consent from every single neighbour who has shares in that unit (which means you will need permission from everyone even if your home was meant for one person), so be sure to give yourself plenty of time; however, once all approvals are gained, there shouldn't be anything stopping you and your furry friend becoming friends with the whole neighbourhood in your strata scheme in double quick time.
In general, you will need to follow the ensuing procedure when thinking of getting a pet into your strata unit.
By getting a strata report in Sydney you can find out what regulations are in place for pets, and whether in fact, they are allowed in your strata.
All rules and regulations regarding pet ownership are laid out in the strata's bylaws, which you can get during a strata inspection in Sydney. A quick check of these will let you know what is expected when it comes to pet ownership.
You may first want to see what your neighbours think about pets in the building. Talk to them and see if they would be open to a furry friend living with you. It's important that your neighbours are on board for pet ownership before going any further because there may be complaints from other unit owners in the future, so it is best to get their input up front.
If you have already decided that this is something you want long term, then perhaps finding out who might complain when introducing an animal into your life will help move things along more smoothly when you do finally ask permission from the strata council. In most cases, people can simply talk to others in their buildings or even email everyone individually asking what they think of having a dog or cat in a unit without too much trouble.
You may not be the only one in your building who needs to ask for permission, in which case you can do up a petition form and get all the other people to sign it. This will save you a lot of time and effort, but also show the strata council that many people are in favour of this request being granted.
However, if there is no one else who needs to ask for permission or support your application then presenting a petition might not be necessary. The general rule here is to have an open conversation with everyone living around you so if they do have problems with pets becoming a part of your life at home, they can voice their concerns early on when any kind of discussion takes place about allowing animals into the building.
Getting a pet insurance may be a good idea to consider. It might be a good idea to get pet insurance just in case your dog gets into some kind of accident or something happens, then you will have the money for medical treatment and so on.
The best way to get the strata corporation’s approval is to have a meeting with your neighbours and show them that you are committed. If you can convince everyone in the building, then it will be easy for your application to go through without any problems. This is because if one person doesn't want it, they could say no or put up an objection which would mean getting unanimous consent isn't possible anymore.