Adjudicator backs Sunshine Coast body corporate in dispute over pet lift ban

The type of dog was not identified in the decision A unit owner has lost a fight to let their 4kg dog ride the lift in a three-storey apartment complex, after an adjudicator backed the body corporate’s ban and found the rule struck a fair balance between pet owners and neighbours who did not want to be “cooped up” with animals. In a Queensland Body Corporate and Community Management Commission(QBCCM) decision packed with all the ingredients of modern apartment warfare — pets, lifts, allergies, mess and neighbour tension — the adjudicator dismissed the application by the lot owners, who argued the no-lift condition for their dog was unreasonable. The couple, who live on the top floor, said the restriction forced them to negotiate six flights of stairs, two locked gates, the basement car park, moving vehicles and slippery conditions when it rains. They also argued they were planning to have a child and questioned how they would manage a pram and the dog along the same route. They said there was no real evidence justifying the restriction, beyond what they described as an unsubstantiated story that another dog had once urinated in the lift, and pointed out that other dogs had used the...