The WA Short-Term Rental Accommodation Act 2024 does not require short-stay owners to accept pets, that is your commercial decision, set in your house rules. But you generally must accept a genuine assistance animal under the federal Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the WA Equal Opportunity Act 1984, an assistance animal is not a “pet”, and you cannot charge a pet fee or bond for one. Strata by-laws, cleaning and clear rules are the other things to get right.
There is a common misconception that the STRA Act sets “pet rules” for short-stay properties. It does not. The Act governs registration, not whether you accept pets. This guide sets out what actually applies: your choice on pets, the assistance-animal obligation you cannot opt out of, and how to run a pet-friendly listing well.
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your obligations with the relevant authorities and your own adviser.
Does the STRA Act require you to allow pets?
No. The Short-Term Rental Accommodation Act 2024 is about registering your property and displaying your registration number. It says nothing requiring you to accept guests’ pets.
It is also worth clearing up a related point. WA’s residential tenancy reforms from 29 July 2024 gave long-term tenants a right to request a pet (via a Form 25, with a pet bond of up to $260). Those rules sit under the Residential Tenancies Act 1987 and apply to tenancies, not to short-stay guests. A short-stay guest is not a tenant, so the Form 25 process does not apply to you. Whether your short-stay property is pet-friendly is entirely your decision, made in your listing and house rules.
Assistance animals: the one you cannot refuse
The important exception is assistance animals. Under the federal Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the WA Equal Opportunity Act 1984, it is unlawful to discriminate against a person because they have a genuine assistance animal. In practical terms, a short-stay provider generally cannot:
- Refuse a booking because the guest will bring an assistance animal
- Charge a pet fee, pet bond or extra cleaning fee for an assistance animal
- Impose “no pets” conditions on a guest with an assistance animal
An assistance animal is not a “pet” in law, it is an animal trained to assist a person with a disability and to meet standards of hygiene and behaviour appropriate for public places. This obligation applies even if your listing says “no pets” and even in a strata scheme with a no-pets by-law, because anti-discrimination law operates above a house rule. If you are unsure in a specific case, get advice rather than refusing on the spot, because a wrongful refusal is a genuine legal and reputational risk.
Should your property be pet-friendly?
For everything other than assistance animals, going pet-friendly is a commercial choice. The case for and against:
For:
- A meaningfully larger market, pet owners actively filter for pet-friendly listings and often pay a premium
- Less competition, since many listings exclude pets
- Longer stays and repeat bookings from travelling pet owners
Against:
- Extra cleaning and the risk of damage, odour or fur affecting future guests
- Allergy considerations for subsequent guests
- Noise and neighbour risk (barking)
- Strata by-laws that restrict animals
Strata and pets
If your property is in a strata scheme, the scheme’s by-laws may restrict or prohibit animals on the lot or common property. A pet-friendly listing has to be consistent with those by-laws, so check them before you advertise pets. (Assistance animals are the exception, as above, because anti-discrimination law overrides a by-law.) For how strata interacts with short-stay more broadly, see our strata consent guide.
Running a pet-friendly listing well
If you choose to welcome pets, set clear expectations in your house rules:
- Numbers and size, specify how many pets and any size limit
- Where pets are allowed, e.g. not on beds or furniture, outside areas
- Cleaning expectations, guests clean up after their pet, inside and out
- A pet cleaning fee, you may charge a reasonable additional cleaning fee for actual pets (but never for an assistance animal)
- Damage, covered by your house rules and your short-stay insurance; confirm your policy covers pet damage, as some exclude it
Framing these as shared expectations rather than a list of prohibitions tends to attract responsible pet owners, which is the same philosophy behind how we approach guest screening.
Frequently asked questions
Does the WA STRA Act make me accept pets?
No. The Act is about registration, not pet acceptance. Whether your short-stay is pet-friendly is your commercial decision, set in your house rules.
Can I refuse an assistance animal?
Generally no. Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the WA Equal Opportunity Act 1984, refusing a guest because of a genuine assistance animal is unlawful discrimination, and you cannot charge a pet fee for one. This applies even if your listing says “no pets”.
Can I charge a pet fee or bond?
You can set a reasonable pet cleaning fee for actual pets. You cannot charge any pet fee or bond for an assistance animal.
My strata scheme bans pets, can I still be pet-friendly?
For ordinary pets, no, the by-law applies, so check it before advertising pets. Assistance animals are the exception, because anti-discrimination law overrides the by-law.
This article is general information only, current at the time of writing, and is not legal advice. Assistance-animal and discrimination obligations are significant; confirm your position with the relevant authorities or a qualified adviser, and check your strata by-laws and insurance.