Can a body corporate ban pets?

This is an evolving area of Queensland law. Historically, many schemes had blanket pet bans in their by-laws. However, recent court decisions have questioned whether an absolute ban on all pets — with no discretion to consider individual applications — is enforceable. The current position is that a body corporate can regulate pets (requiring approval, imposing conditions, or restricting certain types of animals) but a blanket ban that gives the committee no ability to consider individual requests on their merits may be open to challenge. If you want to keep a pet, apply to the committee in writing. If approval is refused without reasonable grounds, you may have grounds to challenge the decision through the Commissioner's office. This article is general information only and not legal advice.