It is time to end blanket bans on pets in rental homes, according to Labour Senator Rebecca Moynihan.

On Lunchtime Live this afternoon, Senator Moynihan said there is nothing in the law to stop renters keeping pets – but many landlords have put across-the-board bans in place.

She believes the ongoing increase in long-term renters across the country means people should have a right to own a pet – regardless of whether they own their own home.

“A higher percentage of the population than ever before is renting according to the 2016 census,” she said.

“Then, you are looking at a situation where we have build-to-rent units being put up -particularly in cities, we have more renters and we are looking at longer-term renters.

“People are not just renting for a couple of years now, they are raising families in rental accommodation so I think it is an issue that needs to be addressed at this stage.”

Pet benefits

She said she got an email from a renter over the weekend who said she will never be in a position to buy a house and her child, “cries for a dog every day.”

“In this country, we tend to balance stuff all from the viewpoint of landlords but when you are renting out a house, you are not just renting a property,” she said. “That becomes somebody’s home.

“That is the home they are living in and often it is the home they are raising a family in. We need to have a reasonable accommodation.

“In most European cities, people are able to rent, they are able to rent an apartment and they are able to have the benefit of a pet.”

Adoption

Senator Moynihan said Dog’s Trust has previously warned that more people are being forced to surrender pets they had adopted because they were moving to a house where pets are banned.

She said Ireland appears to have a default ‘computer says no’ attitude to pets in rental accommodation.

“Particularly when it comes to things like management companies or approved bodies not allowing pets or people having to give up pets if they are moving in senior citizens accommodation, I think that has a really bad societal effect and knock-on,” she said.

“Keeping a pet, promotes responsibility, it gives people a stable environment, you know. I have to walk and feed my dog every day and I think it has a huge beneficial effect.”

She called for Ireland to consider the British system where renters are allowed to own pets by default and landlords must bring forward good reasons for banning them.

Damage

Also on the show, landlord Stephen said he sees the damage caused by pets on a day-to-day basis.”

“I see it when they bring in dogs and it is on their lease they are not supposed to, the amount of stuff and damage that is left behind from these animals,” he said.

“It is 100% not the animal’s fault but you have doors damaged because they have been trying to scrape to get out because they are out of the house of whatever.

“You have to say to them when you are signing the lease that there are not pets allowed in this property – but that is just because of past experience.”

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