I get called into a lot of properties on the last day of a lease, and the dog is usually the first thing anyone mentions. Not the oven, not the walls — the dog. Someone has been told for a year that having a pet means a bigger bond, and now they’re bracing for the bill.
The bracing is mostly misplaced. In Victoria there is no such thing as a pet bond, and the things that genuinely do get charged have almost nothing to do with whether an animal lived there.
The sentence worth screenshotting
Consumer Affairs Victoria doesn’t hedge on this one:
“Rental providers and owners cannot ask for an additional bond as a ‘pet bond’.”
Victoria Legal Aid says the same thing in its own words: rental providers are not allowed to charge an additional bond to protect against damage a pet may cause.
So if an agent has asked for an extra two weeks’ rent “for the dog”, or a non-refundable pet fee, or a higher bond than the property would otherwise carry — that is not a Victorian arrangement. There is one bond, it is the ordinary bond, and it goes to the RTBA. If you’re not sure yours did, that check takes about a minute.
Getting consent: a form and a 14-day clock
The consent process is unusually renter-friendly, and it runs on a deadline that most people don’t realise is the landlord’s deadline, not theirs.
- You fill in the Consumer Affairs Victoria Pet request form. One form per animal — two cats means two forms.
- You give it to the rental provider.
- They have 14 days, starting the day after they receive it, to apply to VCAT for an order that it is reasonable to refuse.
- If they don’t apply within 14 days, consent is taken to have been given.
The part that flips the usual dynamic: a rental provider cannot simply say no. Tenants Victoria states it directly — “The landlord cannot unreasonably refuse their consent.” Refusing requires a tribunal order, and getting one requires actually going to VCAT and paying to be there.
One caveat worth knowing before you buy a crate: if they do apply, you can’t keep the pet while VCAT is deciding.
What VCAT weighs — and what it has rejected
Victoria Legal Aid lists the matters the tribunal looks at:
- the type of pet you have or want to keep
- the character and nature of the rented premises
- the character and nature of the fixtures and fittings on the premises
More useful than the list is what hasn’t worked. Reasons that have not been accepted as reasonable grounds to refuse include:
| Argument | Why it fails |
|---|---|
| “Our insurance won’t cover it” | Insurance implications aren’t a ground |
| “The pet might damage the place” | The possibility of damage isn’t enough — actual unsuitability is the question |
| “The owner is allergic” | The rental provider doesn’t live there |
| “Owners corporation rules ban pets” | A rule excluding a pet from a private lot is invalid |
| “It might get out” | Potential escape isn’t a ground |
Notice the pattern: the ones that fail are all about the animal in the abstract. The ones with any traction are about this property — a fourth-floor studio with no outdoor access and a large dog is a different conversation to a house with a fenced yard.
Assistance dogs aren’t in this conversation at all
Consumer Affairs Victoria: “Assistance dogs do not count as pets, and people with assistance dogs cannot be discriminated against.” Victoria Legal Aid defines a pet as broadly any animal other than an assistance dog.
No Pet request form. No 14-day clock. No VCAT. No charge.
So what actually comes out of the bond?
Here’s the honest version, and it’s shorter than people expect. A pet doesn’t create a new category of deduction — it just gives an agent a story to attach to the ordinary ones. Your duties are the same three that applied before the dog arrived:
- taking care to avoid damaging the property
- keeping the property reasonably clean
- not causing a nuisance or interfering with neighbours’ reasonable peace, comfort or privacy
Which means a pet-related claim has to land on one of these:
| Claim | Does it stick? |
|---|---|
| Chewed door frame, scratched flyscreen, dug-up garden bed | Yes — that’s damage, not wear |
| Fleas | Yes, if it was your pet. CAV’s own example of renter responsibility is that “there are fleas in the property because they didn’t treat their pet” |
| Carpet left visibly soiled | Yes — but as a cleaning issue, judged the same way it would be without a pet |
| Odour with nothing behind it | Shaky — a claim has to point at a specific thing that needs specific work |
| “There was a pet here, so the carpets need doing” | No — that’s a status, not a condition |
| An extra charge just for having had a pet | No — that’s a pet bond wearing a different hat |
⚠️ Note the flea line carefully, because it cuts both ways. CAV also says a rental provider may be responsible where a property defect let pests in — its example is “a hole in the roof let in pests”. And it opens the whole topic with an admission worth remembering: “The law doesn’t always say who is responsible for fixing or paying to fix a problem with pests, infestations or mould.” Where it’s genuinely arguable, neither side gets to decide it alone — either can apply to VCAT.
The document that settles all of it
Same answer as every other bond argument: the condition report. If the skirting was already scuffed, the flyscreen already had a tear, the back lawn was already patchy — and the entry report says so with photos — then it isn’t your dog’s fault no matter how convincing the exit inspection sounds.
If you have a pet, photograph the pet-adjacent things at entry specifically: door frames and their bottom corners, flyscreens and screen doors, carpet edges near doorways, skirting boards, the garden beds and lawn, and any gates or fencing. Those are the five or six items that show up on pet claims, and they’re the ones a generic entry report describes as “good” without looking. The condition report guide covers the five-business-day window you get to add to it.
At the end, the carpets are the item most likely to be argued about — and what Victorian law actually requires there is narrower than most exit letters imply, pet or no pet.
If the pet becomes the problem during the lease
Worth knowing so it doesn’t blindside you. If a pet is causing damage, a nuisance, or stopping the property being kept reasonably clean, the rental provider can issue a breach of duty notice — that’s a notice to fix the breach or pay for the damage, not an eviction. You get 14 days. If it isn’t remedied, they can issue a second breach notice or apply to VCAT for a compliance order.
Separately, if VCAT has ordered a pet excluded and it’s still there 14 days later, a 28-day notice to vacate becomes available. And an immediate notice to vacate is reserved for the extreme end — a pet endangering neighbours’ safety.
None of that is bond territory. It’s a different track, and it doesn’t start with money.
The short version ① Victoria has no pet bond — CAV: “Rental providers and owners cannot ask for an additional bond as a ‘pet bond’.” One bond, the ordinary one, lodged with the RTBA ② Consent runs on their clock, not yours: submit the Pet request form (one per animal) and if they haven’t applied to VCAT within 14 days, consent is taken to be given — and insurance, allergies, owners corporation rules and the mere possibility of damage have all failed as grounds to refuse ③ At the end, a pet claim still has to name a specific thing — damage beyond fair wear and tear, or the property not left reasonably clean (CAV’s own example: fleas because the pet wasn’t treated). “There was a pet here” is a status, not a condition, and the condition report is what decides it
Frequently asked questions
Can a landlord charge a pet bond in Victoria?
No. Consumer Affairs Victoria states plainly that "Rental providers and owners cannot ask for an additional bond as a 'pet bond'." Victoria Legal Aid puts it the same way — rental providers are not allowed to charge an additional bond to protect against damage a pet may cause. There is one bond, it is the ordinary bond, and it is lodged with the RTBA.
Can they refuse to let me have a pet?
Not on their own say-so. You submit the Consumer Affairs Victoria Pet request form — one per animal — and the rental provider then has 14 days, starting the day after they receive it, to apply to VCAT for an order that refusal is reasonable. If they do not apply to VCAT within those 14 days, consent is taken to have been given. Only VCAT can actually refuse.
What does VCAT look at when deciding?
Victoria Legal Aid lists the matters as the type of pet you have or want to keep, the character and nature of the rented premises, and the character and nature of the fixtures and fittings on the premises. Notably, reasons that have not succeeded include insurance implications, the mere possibility of damage, a rental provider's allergies, and owners corporation rules — a rule excluding a pet from a private lot is invalid.
Does an assistance dog need consent?
No. Consumer Affairs Victoria states that "Assistance dogs do not count as pets, and people with assistance dogs cannot be discriminated against." Victoria Legal Aid describes a pet as broadly any animal other than an assistance dog. No Pet request form, no consent, and no separate charge applies.
What pet costs can actually come out of my bond?
Damage beyond fair wear and tear, and cleaning needed because the property was not left reasonably clean. Consumer Affairs Victoria's own worked example of renter responsibility for pests is that "there are fleas in the property because they didn't treat their pet." What they cannot do is take money because a pet lived there — the claim has to point at a specific thing, and the condition report is what decides whether it was already there.
This guide is general information based on official sources current at the date shown above. Tenancy law differs by state and by agreement. For decisions about your own bond, check the official body linked above or get advice for your situation.
Keep reading
Victoria's Residential Tenancies Act says damage does not include fair wear and tear, which it defines as deterioration from reasonable use and natural forces. Consumer Affairs Victoria's Guideline 3 gives side-by-side examples, and VCAT has to weigh the age of an item using the ATO depreciation guide. An 8-year-old carpet is the example CAV uses for one a renter can't be charged to replace.
The bond problems I get called into almost always come down to the order things happened in, not to how hard anyone scrubbed. Cleaners booked for the day the truck is still loading, a final reading nobody asked for, a mail redirection started after handover. Here's the fortnight laid out in order, with the dates and costs that are actually fixed.
Four of the items on Victoria's own cleanliness list are outdoors, and VCAT has named overgrown garden beds and belongings left behind as evidence a property was not left reasonably clean. But regular mowing and weeding is where the renter's job stops: major pruning, tree removal and the gutters sit on the other side of the line. Here is exactly where that line runs, what happens to anything you leave behind, and why the bin collection day matters more than the tip run.