Batemans Bay rated the worst town in NSW for renters with pets

Fires destroyed more than 500 houses during the Black Summer bushfires, inflation is causing rental prices to skyrocket and many of the homes are exclusively holiday rentals.

27 per cent of the houses that dot our beautiful coastline are unoccupied, according to 2021 Census data.

In summer, the population of towns like Batemans Bay triples, and every house is brimming with extended families celebrating Christmas and New Year's Eve.

With more than 6000 houses and units sitting empty most of the year, families struggle to find a place to rent.

So when a pet is added to the equation, finding a place to rent becomes almost impossible.

Batemans Bay rated the worst town in NSW for renters with pets

In March 2023, Batemans Bay was labelled the worst town in NSW when it comes to finding a rental property that will allow pets.

Market research group Suburbtrends monitored 300,000 advertised rental properties across Australia over three months and found that 58 per cent of properties in Batemans Bay were listed with the exception: "no pets".

Batemans Bay far outranked other NSW towns, with Lithgow taking 2^nd place with only 50 per cent of rentals advertised as a no-pet property. Far south coast village Eden ranked 8^th, followed by Unanderra and Bathurst.

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Kent Lardner, Suburbtrends founder said the results were alarming. "The rankings reveal alarming difficulties renters with pets face across Australia, with many likely to be forced out into more pet-friendly areas."

Nationally, Batemans Bay was ranked as the 4^th worst town for renters with pets.

Have a pet, or face homelessness?

Batemans Bay mum Hayley had to give up the family pet: "We had to make the decision to re-home or we were going to be homeless."

"It is crazy the amount of people that have to give up their pets because it's always a choice in keeping your beloved pet or putting a roof over your family's head," she said.

Hayley's current landlords told her that the previous tenant did not have pets, but when she moved in she noticed the carpets were stained and soiled.

"I spent hours cleaning the carpet and it improved a little bit."

Hayley's son suffered a bad reaction whenever he sat on the carpet - his arms were repeatedly covered in angry hives.

Fortunately, her landlord later replaced all the carpets.

Battered by fires and floods

Skye is a 35-year-old mum of two and lost her house in Catalina during the Black Summer bushfires. Her family, along with her two dogs and cat, were safe but homeless.

For 15 months, Skye searched for a rental that would allow her to keep her pets.

"We offered an extra $10 per week for any rental...we were also offering six months paid [rent] upfront as well as the bond in the hope someone would give us a chance to prove ourselves as good tenants who have always treated our homes with respect," she said.

"I don't believe our applications were even passed on to most owners due to the pets listed."

The difficult decision was made to say goodbye to their dogs and cat. Skye's daughter was 11 and her son 8 when they surrendered the pets to the Animal Welfare League.

"We hope they are now in loving homes, [with owners] who understand how much we cared for them, love them and still miss them immensely."

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Between losing her home in the fires, living in a rental that "leaked every time it rained", the pandemic and giving up her pets, Skye's mental health deteriorated and had to give up her job in aged care.

"We haven't healed from those 15 months of uncertainty, fear and loss."

A holiday house, or a family home?

Luckily, not all landlords are against pets.

Canberra-based business owner Belinda Newham has been renting out her Batehaven property to the same tenant since 2019 - a family with a large dog.

"For the last four years, they have looked after the property and we've never had problems with their dog or complaints from neighbours," Ms Newham said.

"We know how hard it can be to find rentals when you have pets. It's one of the reasons we bought the holiday home in the first place, as we always struggled to find pet-friendly accommodation."

Ms Newham is one of many Canberrans who own a second home in the Eurobodalla. Initially, it was purchased as a holiday home. She admits she is "torn" when thinking about reclaiming the house as a holiday home once again, given the positive experience she has had with her tenants.

"We don't want to add to the housing pressures. But we also purchased so we could experience family holidays and take an active part in the community."

The reality is that every renter, with or without a pet is having a difficult time right now. Online forums are alight with people in the Eurobodalla blaming the complicated housing crisis on holiday homes, untrustworthy tenants, a housing shortage and strict landlords.

Interestingly, the Suburbtrends study found that capital cities had "relatively low numbers compared to the regions" of rental properties that would allow pets.

Ms Newham said landlords should not "write off" tenants just because they have a pet: "I would encourage landlords to consider the full benefits of renting to a particular tenant...you might find you end up with a very loyal and responsible tenant - like we did!"