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So architects are designing wider balconies for units, laying tiled floors and giving cats and dogs an area they can claim as their own.

If a new development is going to meet the demands of pet owners, it will attract legions of potential buyers over those complexes that don't roll out a welcome mat for the fluffy feline or the cuddly canine.

There are about 30,000 apartment developments in Queensland, 28,413 of them in the southeast, and each body corporate has rules on pets.

Some have a blanket ban on them.

Others will allow a canary but not a screeching cockatiel.

Some say you may have a dog if it is no bigger than 10kg.

If you are considering buying a unit, find out first about the by-laws that affect the block.

If there is a blanket ban, the committee will have to take your request to a meeting of all owners and you will need their approval by two-thirds majority to move in with Fido.

They may ask for all details of the animal, certificates proving a dog has attended obedience classes, medical records, photographs and a vet's reference.

The state Body Corporate Commission says no committee or body corporate may discriminate between residential owners and tenants.

So ...

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