'Fishy Demand': US Mom Slams Landlord For Trying To Charge $250 'Pet Fee' For A Goldfish

In the world of renting, landlords sometimes seem to have an uncanny talent for inventing new fees to squeeze extra money from tenants. One such fee that often raises eyebrows is the "pet fee."?

While it's understandable when tenants have potentially destructive pets, like aggressive dogs or cats, that could damage property, some cases take this fee to absurd extremes, bordering on the comical.

An upset tenant is speaking out against her landlord's attempt to charge her a hefty "pet fee" for a pet goldfish in a fish tank. She's not happy about this unexpected charge.

“Tell me why my Mother f- -king apartment complex tried to charge me $250 for a fish as a pet fee?”?Avianna Brown, a leaseholder from North Carolina, posted a trending TikTok video.?

In the video, she shared screenshots of text messages from her apartment complex's leasing office.?

They asked her to complete a "pet application" and pay a $250 money order for her pet goldfish. The video received over 236,900 views. Brown is a mother of one.

The single mom, Avianna Brown, was puzzled by the request.?

She admitted to ignoring the demand because she didn't see her goldfish as a regular pet. Goldfish are usually small, live in fishbowls, and don't make noise or cause damage like dogs or cats.?

However, she got really frustrated when the landlord sent her a "past due" notice for October's rent, claiming she hadn't paid. She insisted that she had already paid for September and refused to pay the extra $250 for the goldfish.

@aviannaa.x YALLL MY APARTMENT COMPLEX TRYNA PLAY , charging me a $250 pet fee for my fish , LIKE BFFR ?? i cannot make this up ??? #greenscreen #fyp #viral #pov #singlemom #blacktiktok #imweak??? ? original sound - Aviannaa?

Avianna Brown shared her text messages with the apartment complex owners on social media.

The owners were firm in their demand for the expensive pet fee, even though the goldfish lived on a table in a small 2.5-gallon tank.

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“Am I tripping or what?”a?bewildered Brown inquired of her audience, who enthusiastically shared their thoughts about this seemingly questionable tactic.?

“This is robbery,” wrote one user.

“[The landlord] better go straight to [hell],” said another.?“The fish would be sitting right in their office because they have lost their minds,” said an angry commenter.

“Tell them you flushed it and remove the fee,” she said.?“Tell them your fish is your emotional support animal—legally, they have to allow it with no fee,” another suggested.?

Avianna Brown hasn't shared what she'll do about the pet fee issue.

But she's not the only one dealing with strange landlord demands. In February, a woman in Kansas City, Missouri, went viral on TikTok for being charged $200 upfront and $15 monthly for her pet goldfish.

In August, New York City was ranked as one of the "worst" cities for pet owners due to the high fees landlords impose on renters with pets.

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