Finding a Pet-Friendly Rental in Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a great city for expats on almost every level. For pet owners, it also has a reputation - and it's not a good one! Of the major Asian expat cities, Hong Kong is consistently among the hardest to navigate as a pet owner searching for a rental and the difficulty is built into the market rather than just a matter of luck or timing.

The property type question settles itself quickly. Public housing is effectively off the table: the Housing Authority banned dog ownership in 2003 and while residents who had dogs under 20kg before the ban could keep them, that provision has largely run its course. Sterilised cats and small domestic pets are still permitted in public housing, but for expats arriving with a dog, the search begins and ends in the private market.

Private housing is where it gets more nuanced. The legal position is relatively straightforward. If a building's Deed of Mutual Covenant (DMC) doesn't explicitly prohibit pets, residents are generally entitled to keep them. In practice, that legal clarity doesn't always translate. Individual landlords set their own terms regardless of what the DMC says and many high-rise buildings enforce no-pet policies as a matter of house rules rather than legal obligation. The result is a market where the gap between what's technically permitted and what's actually available is wider than almost anywhere else in the region.

What Paws & Keys will do here

Hong Kong's complex mix of public housing rules, private building policies and DMC restrictions makes it exactly the kind of market where verified pet policies matter most. We're building our verified database for Hong Kong and will confirm pet policies directly with building management before any listing goes live. If you're planning a move in Hong Kong with a pet, get in touch we'll be in touch as soon as we're operational in the city.