Woman left ‘speechless’ after spotting landlord's ‘bizarre’ fee

A woman was left in shock after spotting an outrageous extra charge from a landlord.

Many of us have weathered our fair share of hidden fees and deposit reductions while renting, but this one definitely takes the biscuit. Watch below:

American renter Nic took to TikTok to share her astonishment after spotting a $200 (£166) one-time charge alongside a monthly fee of $15 (£12).

It turned out this particular landlord wasn't just looking to charge his human tenants rent - their fish would have to cough up, too.

Yep, the landlord wanted to charge $15 a month 'pet rent', despite it being highly unlikely for a fish to have a steady job.

The landlord also warned that 'dangerous breeds' of fish would not be tolerated.

In the caption, Nic wrote: "They're now charging pet rent for fish? Speechless."

The video, which has received more than 60,000 views on TikTok, drew many responses from equally baffled viewers.

TikTok/@nicr__

One wrote: "These apartments are out of control with their damn fees," as another concurred: "The greed is astonishing."

A fellow commenter said: "If you're charging $200 for a fish then I’m adopting an alligator. They both swim."

TikTok users also shared stories of their encounters with similar landlords.

One remarked: "I got charged an $150 fee because I had a fish when I moved in and didn’t disclose it as I didn’t think it mattered. The fish died a week later."

Another said: "My apartment listed every animal under the sun and their pet rent is $40 a month per pet... Like I’m not paying 40 bucks a month for my LIZARD."

Pexels/Chait Goli

It appears that some simply paid no mind to the extra charge, as one user wrote: "I never told my apartment about our animals. ever. Lived there for seven years and they never found out."

Somebody else had an ingenious trick for getting around the fish charge. They wrote: "I had a shrimp in a small tank they tried to charge me I said it was food so they couldn’t charge me."

A commenter who was more sympathetic to the landlord's perspective explained why the charge may have been applied: "My old apartment allowed pets but wouldn’t allow any fish tanks. They said because the water damages in case it breaks is too much to risk."

Many questioned the stipulation that Nic wouldn't be allowed to own any 'aggressive breeds'.

One confused viewer wrote: "Are you going to release a barracuda into the halls??"

Another said: "F**k I guess I can't bring my piranha tank with me."

Topics: Real Life, Life, Animals

Ben Thompson