Your landlady sounds a bit retentitve...but technically she is correct.
If you want to be a turdball you could always rehome the fish and keep the tank. See? No pets. Have some pretty water plants and rocks...lol.
Or you could just play nicey-nice and save your battles for something important.
Or you could just pay the pet deposit.
You have options. Having pets and not paying the deposit is not one of them.
Most landlord don't want to go through the process of defining what a pet is. Each tenant would want to bring an animal to a rental unit and not define it as a pet.
You are making it bad for other pet owners, thinking that a fish tank would not be much of a problem. Your landlord is correct when, pet owners lie about having or getting a pet.
Even landlords that love pets and would not mind renting to other pet owners are having a conflict, when pet owners simply lie to a landlord about having or getting a pet.
Normally a no pet lease clause would mean no pets of any kind, water, caged, or tied. .
Your landlord is within her rights. Failure of you getting rid of the fish and tank would be reasonfor her to evict you.
I hope this has been of some benefit to you, good luck.
"FIGHT ON"
Huh…the pet rule at my complex basically states that anything that (reasonably) lives in a cage doesn't require a pet deposit. So, this seems like an unreasonable demand to me…but I can see where the other answerers are coming from. It would be a big pain in the ***, and an insurance liability, if the tank was to break.
Dig out your rental agreement/lease and follow the rules. Therefore, either pay her the money or get rid of the fish and tank. By the way...when a person goes to a 'Pet' store.....fish are also sold there, therefore, fish are pets.
I can understand your confusion, but as the PP have said pet deposits exist to cover any and all possible damages to the property and all it takes is one accident for even just a 3 gallon fish tank to make a huge mess and cause lasting damage.
It does sound like a bot of an overreaction on her part, but you did technically break the rule even if it wasn't intentional. More often than not when she's encountered this in the past it probably was someone trying to sneak around her rules so she every reason to assume you were doing the same.
Just pay the fee or re-home the fish and save yourself a fight.
And if your fish tank is knocked over and spreads tank water through the property? I've got a tank and that's something I dread. Your landlady is simply covering herself in case this happens and she's left to cover the cleaning or removal of the stinking carpet. Stop whining, she's done nothing wrong.
I wish you had told her you didnt consider the fish tank as pets. That would be more direct. It looks as if you were dishonest.
It is not for you to judge if she is unreasonable. Thats not the point. That is the rule and you did not reveal you had fish. There is the chance the tank may leak on her carpet or it could get smashed.
Reasonability has nothing to do with it. You aren't allowed pets unless it is allowed in your lease.
Also, what did you think they were? Houseplants?
From her perspective it looks like you were going behind her back, which is why she is ticked.
Pay or get rid of the tank. Simple.
refuse to pay the $350 safety deposit fishes are not pets i have an iguana in a tank is not being charged extra for, your landlord is just money hungry if she evicts you then she loses a tenant and even more money her stupidity not yours.
She's being very unreasonable but still acting within the law. It technically is a pet. She probably has some self esteem issues and is trying to make herself feel more powerful by exerting her power. You could make a point by removing the fish but keeping the tank lol.
My landlady of my apartment recently found out that I have a small fish tank (I just 3 neon tetras and a tiny algae eater). Apparently this is a violation of the pet policy and she told us we must either pay a $350 pet deposit or get rid of the fish tank. If we refuse she even said she would evict us. She said she hates it when people get pets behind her back and try to hide it. I didn't do that, I just didn't really think that a 3 gallon fish tank would count as a "Pet" that required a $350 safety deposit. I guess I'll have to get rid of the tank but I just wanted to know if other people thought that this was unreasonable of her or not? I mean if I had hid a cat or something I could understand, but its just fish?
When it breaks and water gets everywhere it will cost more. Most places don't count fish as pets but technically they are and she is in her rights.
Fish tanks leak, she wants insurance in case it does. Pets in general, whether caged, tanked, or otherwise can do damage.
Perfectly reasonable. Fish tank breaks, water gets everywhere, can cause damage. Hence, deposit.
Tell her it isn't pets, it's decor. I got away with that in college...TWICE!
