Let’s not forget birds. I have a neighbour who gets constant complaints from an adjoining neighbour because his canary whistles much of the time when he is awake. I find the singing bird a constant joy to my ears. Tell me is a little canary, love birds or cockatiel worse than a mobile phone, computer games that screech, bleep and go ‘whiz - ping - bang’ repeatedly (and breaks the peace at night from 7:00pm to bedtime from another close neighbour).

We even have a ‘Dame Nellie’, who begins early in the morning seven days a week and the only song she is rehearsing, and has been rehearsing repeatedly for the last six months is one from Phantom of the Opera. And, that brings me to the lorikeets and magpies, which, live and nest in the gardens, and tall trees, which surround the apartment block. Just what does the complaining neighbour think of them when they begin their chorus at 5:30am in the morning? Does one little yellow bird really make that much of a difference?

Perhaps the complaining neighbour really dislikes the canary’s owner. Maybe the neighbour is annoyed enough to get them both evicted? Just on the quiet, we have two cats, two dogs, numerous fish, and even a couple of lizards and a python who live in heated aquariums. Now all of the owners of these creatures are thoughtful and fastidiously clean and as far as I know have not asked the owner of our apartments for permission to keep their pet. But who am I to cast the first stone. I have the biggest, fattest, furry moggy in the block, and all she does is doze in front of the French doors where the sun shines through on her white coat. What a happy family.

So to all those apartment hunters out there. Read those online listing and get in touch with the owners at rent-a-home.com.au where you can rent a spacious modern one bedroom pet-friendly unit available now. On the other hand, you can join OzFreeOnline.com, register and log in and then place your own free listing with all the requirements including ‘pet-friendly’ owner. If you can supply a reference from a previous happy property owner and perhaps offer a pet lease, you may just get the apartment you want in the right location.