PETS

Owning pets in a complex is difficult. Most people in houses own pets, in the form of birds, fish, dogs, cats, snakes, alligators teenage children and mothers-in-law. Fortunately owning teenage children and mothers-in-law are not pets that are controlled by the law or rules of a complex.

Pets are usually regulated in the conduct rules of a complex. These rules must be registered with the Registrar of Deeds to be enforceable, and can only be changed by special resolution. If the rules are not registered then the only rules that are enforceable are the rules prescribed by the Sectional Titles Act, as annexure 9.

Annexure 9 (Prescribed Conduct Rules) requires that an owner obtains the written consent of the trustees to keep a pet. This consent may not be unreasonably withheld, and the trustees may prescribe any reasonable condition. The trustees may only withdraw this consent if any reasonable condition that they have prescribed is breached.

Reasonable conditions that may be prescribed are that occupiers should include the proper treatment of animals, the possibility of posing a health risk to the occupiers of the complex, the noise produced by the pet and the mess produced by the pet.

However this is based on the prescribed conduct rules as per the Sectional Titles Act. All the owners in a complex are bound by its own registered rules..