New rental law changes in New South Wales-what does this mean?

Earlier in 2025 the NSW government changes legislation around rentals and laws with pets in the home. These new changes shift the favour to the tenant who can now apply to keep pets in the home. The landlord then has 21 days to give a response that then can be taken further if the tenant does not agree with the terms, note, not all animals will have conditions attached.

It is then possible for the tenant to take further action if for some reason they do not agree with the decision of the landlord, or additional conditions that may be attached to keep the animal at home. This means those in cities such as Sydney, Orange and Wagga Wagga will have an easier time should they wish to bring a Russian Blue into their home.

It also supports more regional and remote families, in Cowra, Forbes and Dubbo, where often rental laws can be tight due to concerns around native wildlife and feral cats. We still strongly recommend keeping your Russian Blue indoors or harnessed or leash trained to avoid any issues. With these changes it is important to still consider the impact of a pet in a home or unit.

This is the reason we recommend training your Russian kitten from the get-go. Working on stopping scratching, having a few litter trays and plenty of toys are a solid start to ensure the experience is as seamless as possible. It can be useful to have a small, quiet room where you can set up your kitten as a safe place with food and water, as well as for sleeping at night. This will allow a quite safe place to settle, but also avoid any ‘midnight mishaps’, as kittens are very curious and love to explore and play (sometimes to their detriment!)

It is also important to double check strata terms and laws to ensure there will be no issue keeping a Russian Blue in your unit or townhouse. These changes are a step in the right direction and have opened many new avenues for those wanting a kitten to enter their home. It is good practice prior to arranging a call with us to check the above, as then when we connect it is much easier to answer any questions for specifically to your needs. We can also view any areas of concern and come up with ways this could be best managed in the home with minimal stress.