5.2. Pets

POLICY

To indicate the type and number of pets that a tenant may have and the responsibilities of the tenant where their pets are concerned.

When the Residential Tenancies Act replaced the Tenant Protection Act in 2007, the No Pet provision was removed from the Act. Tenants are now permitted to have pets in rental units. However the Act does provide some remedy to Landlords when the Pet interferes with the reasonable enjoyment of other residents. The Act is silent about the number of pets a resident is permitted. 

To be a responsible Landlord it is only prudent to set reasonable standards for the number of pets a resident is permitted and their obligations. These standards must consider local by-laws. This policy will allow DSB staff to set the number of pets allowed by procedure while taking into consideration local municipal by-laws.
 

PROCEDURE

Reference:   

• Policy I 5.4 Pet Abandonment
• Local Pet Bylaws 

Tenants shall only be permitted to house one (1) pet and/or one caged pet at any given time. Tenants who currently have more than one pet (preceding October 1, 2015) will be grandfathered from this policy.  

Tenants are required to declare the addition of a pet into the household within thirty (30) days of acquiring same, and complete the Pet Information form.

Tenants with Pets must be held responsible for the care and control of their pets at all times while in or on the property. Tenants who fail to do so may become subject to the Residential Tenancies Act remedies pertaining to pets. Such remedy may be exercised by a landlord if the tenant fails to promote a safe environment to other tenants and/or their pet becomes an issue to the reasonable enjoyment of the other tenants and/or the Landlord.

Tenants are responsible for:

• Ensuring that they have full control of their pet at all times while on the property.
• Ensuring that their pet is tethered/leashed at all times while on or about the property. 
• Cleaning of all areas of the rental property (interior, deck/balcony and yard) from pet residue (hair, excrement, litter, etc.). 
• All pet waste is properly disposed as per Landlord specifications. 
• Ensure that their pet is not interfering with the reasonable enjoyment of the other tenants of the complex and/or Landlord. (i.e. unnecessary or persistent barking/howling/mewing, odours emitting from the unit, threatening behavior by the pet, etc.). 

Tenants wishing consideration for relocation, due to over/under-housing, ground-floor request or other must ensure that they had adhered to this policy before any relocation will be considered.

Tenants who fail to ensure that their pet maintains a peaceful environment on and about the residential complex, or are negligent in their responsibility to clean up after their pets, are subject to remedial action by the Landlord up to and including termination of tenancy.  

Tenants’ guests and their pets are the responsibility of the tenant while on or about the rental property, and are subject to the contents of this policy. 

Tenants must license their pet as per local by-laws in their municipality and provide proof of such license at the request of the Landlord. 
 

Caged Pets 

Tenants must ensure that pets confined to cages, terrariums, or aquariums are housed appropriately and kept in an escape proof enclosure.