Uruguay bill seeks to prevent bans on pets in buildings

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Partido Colorado deputy Juan Moreno said that his bill is based on “the significance and value that pets hold for people.”

The article proposes the annulment of any lease contract clause intended to regulate the issue. The same decrees the following: “The clauses of any contract referring to the lease of persons, or of co-ownership regulations, internal regulations or resolutions of building assemblies incorporated to the condominium property regime or regulated by common property law, which directly or indirectly establish the ban of keeping pets duly registered in the National Registry of Pets (RENAC), are hereby declared null and void. This provision is a public ordinance.”

The contracts included in the law relate to leases, co-ownership regulations and internal regulations of buildings and dwellings. However, in order to be authorized, should the bill be passed, animals must be registered in the RENAC.

According to Moreno, the law “seeks to protect both the right of property over real estate and the right of property over goods in a balanced way, focused on this new conception of coexistence that responsible animal ownership demands.”

If passed by the Houses of Congress, pets will be allowed in buildings as well as in condominiums. The legislator estimated that the article will be analyzed in the Chamber of Deputies’ Special Committee on Responsible Pet Ownership and Animal Welfare in 2022.

“It is essential to establish the nullity of contract clauses, co-ownership regulations, internal regulations and resolutions of the Assembly of co-ownership that forbid the responsible keeping of animals in condominium buildings as a public ordinance,” the deputy said.

The issue of allowed pets is a common discussion in buildings and cooperatives, but what does the law say about it?

In Uruguay, Law No. 18471 governing this issue was passed in 2009. It created the National Registry of Pets, where owners must register them and also entitles the National Honorary Commission for Animal Welfare (CONAHOBA) to control, receive complaints and give advice.

The law is specific for dogs and cats and includes articles on what to do should a person no longer be able to take care of their pet or if the owner dies. Penalties for mistreatment and abandonment are also included.

In addition, the rules of coexistence that pet owners must observe in the event of damage or nuisance (To repair the damage that the animal may cause to another animal or person), it establishes that pets must always be kept on a leash and collar in the street, and that they must wear a muzzle if the animal is dangerous (The use of muzzle, collar and safety leash correctly used, will be mandator for the permanence and mobility of such animals on the public road), as well as cleaning their waste in common spaces (Collect the fecal matter of the animals on the public road).

In addition, pets must have chips implanted in order to keep a record in the country.