What you need to know about North Coast estates and your pets

There are countless factors to consider when buying a home, few so important as whether your new home welcomes your ‘fur babies’.

Locals often bemoan the difficulty of finding homes that allow pets, especially in the rental market and among sectional titles.

The rules vary across estates, with some not allowing either dogs or cats and others only restricting the number of pets.

So be sure to consult the body corporate prior to signing on the dotted line.

“The allowance of pets are for freehold properties as a rule. Sectional title homes within estates have different rules and, of course, some breeds are not allowed anywhere,” said Local Real Estate’s Graham White.

There are also pet weight and height restrictions in some estates.

While the rules may be restrictive, Zimbali Coastal Estate was the only one with a blanket ban on pet ownership.

Home to coastal forest which supports an incredible diversity of wildlife, much of which is threatened or protected, the decision was made to protect the wild animals.

“It is for that reason that residents can hear nocturnal wildlife such as African Wood Owls, Bushbabies, and Fiery-Necked Nightjars calling at night,” said head of communications, Shannon Vermaak.

The estate is also home to Southern African Rock Pythons and African Crowned Eagles, with researchers frequently visiting the estate to conduct research.

Estates at which you may own both cats and dogs include Brettenwood Coastal Estate, Dunkirk Estate, Fairview Estates, Elaleni Coastal Forest Estate, Umhlali Golf Estate, Ballito Gardens, Springvale Farm Estate, Springvale Village Estate, Seaward Estate and Zimbali Lakes.

Those which only allow dogs include Simbithi Eco Estate, Zululami Luxury Coastal Estate, Port Zimbali and Hilltop Private Estate.

Demand for pet-friendly estates has grown and some estates have relaxed their rules over time, while others that previously allowed pets have changed the rules for new property owners.

Simbithi Eco-Estate is one example, where the tolerance of pets has decreased.

“Being widely regarded as one of South Africa’s pre-eminent eco-estates, Simbithi Eco-Estate’s pet rules have been promulgated to support this. This means that new homeowners and tenants are not permitted to bring cats onto the estate,” said general manager Marc Mc Clure.

Simbithi allows for no more than two dogs per household. There are also limitations, with Pitbulls, Rottweilers and Boerboels, and cross breeds of these species, banned.

“Sectional title schemes may impose more restrictive rules, however these may not overrule any of the estate’s pet rules,” Mc Clure said.

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