Mr Dwyer said many landlords that his firm dealt with were “negative” about the proposals and believed tenants were getting too many rights.

He said the rental market in Warrnambool was already stretched and the proposals could prompt some landlords to pull out of the rental market.

The proposals, which are currently before state parliament, give tenants the right to have a pet and abolish the ability of landlords to order tenants to vacate premises without giving a reason.

Mr Dwyer said giving tenants the right to have a pet was a sore point with many landlords.

Complaints about the damage done by pets were among the top three issues from landlords with the other two being late rent payments and poor garden maintenance, he said.

Under the proposals, tenants will also have the right make minor modifications to their rental properties such as putting up pictures.

Tenants Victoria chief executive Mark O’Brien said the proposals recognised that many people were in the rental market for longer periods of their lives than in previous generations.

“Tenants have been treated as second class citizens for too long,” Mr O’Brien said.

“We cannot have a whole generation of people who cannot make their house a proper home,” he said.

Mr O’Brien said landlords would still be able to seek redress for any damage done by pets or through minor modifications by calling upon the bond paid by tenants.

He said the abolition of the “no reason notice to vacate” provision meant that tenants could only be evicted for a valid reason.

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