Research finds over 90 per cent of Tasmanians want pets in rentals

The research from Mars Petcare also found six in 10 Tasmanians remained unaware of the state's lag behind the majority of Australia when it came to pet-friendly residential rental laws.

A Hobart resident, Holly, said she had to give up her dog at the time to her parents in order to find a rental a few years ago.

"It was really an unfortunate situation, we'd applied for so many and kept missing out; we needed a place to live as our rental was going up for sale," Holly said.

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"Animals are such a huge part of our lives these days, it seems crazy that we can potentially be told that we can't have them in our house with us.

"It was really upsetting, I was lucky because my parents were able to take on my dog, but it was just the little things like coming home to your pet at the end of the night."

She said change needed to happen considering how big a part pets are in people's lives.

"I think even these days people are purposely choosing to have pets instead of children due to cost and things associated with it; to exclude pets from rental properties is upsetting and hopefully we can make a change and make a difference."

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Under Tasmanian laws, a tenant must secure a landlord's permission to keep pets.

States with similar laws to Tasmania have recently introduced amendments to create more pet friendly rules such as Victoria, where landlords must have a good reason to deny tenants permission to keep pets.

Mars Petcare director of corporate affairs Sophie Anning said she had spoken with the state government to address the laws.

"I think Tasmania is in a really fortunate position," Ms Anning said.

"The rest of Australia has either updated their Tenancy Act, or they are about to bring in legislation that is going to make it easier for renters to take a tenancy where they can have a pet.

She said they wanted to provide a "snapshot" of pet ownership and rental reform in Australia to the state government.

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"We think it's about time Tasmania caught up with the with the rest of Australia," she said.

Attorney-General Elise Archer said the Rockliff Liberal government was committed to a residential tenancy framework that was both fair and met the needs of both tenants and owners.

"Our government acknowledges the important place animals have in our families and understands tenants rely on the comfort, interaction and companionship of their pets," Ms Archer said.

"Equally, we also acknowledge that some property owners prefer to provide rental properties to tenants who do not have pets."

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She said a nine-point "Better Deal for Renters" was agreed at National Cabinet earlier this month.

"I am proud to say Tasmania largely already delivers on seven of these measures, and our Government will continue to work towards further improvements to our framework where appropriate," she said.

"The provision of a pet bond may serve as a balanced alternative."

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