“To keep or not to keep the pet, that is the question.” Every pet owner asks this question to himself before buying or renting a house in an apartment today. With the mushrooming growth of the apartment complexes in India, it’s quite common to hear stories of how pet owners on one fine day find a letter taped on the notice board of the society (on behalf of apartment association) of how pets are banned and they should either abandon the pet or vacate the apartment.

As per an advocate practicing at Delhi High Court and Supreme Court of India, the apartment associations and RWAs of apartment complexes cannot legislate and pass such decisions and abstain citizens from their rights to own a pet. It is unlawful and a form of harassment if the RWA is following such practices.

Let’s have a look at the do’s and don’ts that an RWA should take care of for building a harmonious community:

Dos:

• Request pet owners to always keep their pets on leash.
• Issue guidelines to clean after their pets in case they are soiling the common areas and lifts.
• Set timings for pets to use the park area when small children are not playing so that there is no calamity.
• Put gentle reminders for pet owners to vaccinate their pets on a regular basis.

Don’ts:

• An apartment management association cannot ban any resident from keeping a pet even if the majority votes for the same.
• RWA cannot comment on the size of the pet to be kept in the apartment.
• The pets cannot be banned to use the lifts.
• Pets cannot be banned to use common areas and park area.

On the other hand, it is important for the pet owners to understand their responsibilities towards the other residents so that the community living is harmonious for both. The pets should be trained in such a way that they should not be provoked when seeing other residents or children. Ensure they are always on a leash in common areas and are properly vaccinated. At the end, your pets should not become a nuisance for everyone else living in the apartment. Proper walks for your pet, food and water at the right time and lastly, love and care will help it remain healthy and content. Keeping a pet is not easy, so in case you do plan to keep one, make sure you are very disciplined yourself as a little carelessness on your side towards your pet can cause a huge ruckus in your entire apartment complex!

So, for all you aspiring pet owners out there, don’t be afraid to get yourself a pet today, but remember it’s a great responsibility that you need to carry out diligently every single day.