While a pet fee for a large and hairy St. Bernard could make sense, one tenant in Georgia believed their landlord’s hamster rent was absolutely outrageous. Posting to r/Tenant under the username Specialist-Good-369, the renter claims management spotted their child’s hamster cage during the latest inspection. Now, in their lease renewal, the landlord is allegedly demanding “a $300 non-refundable pet deposit and $50 a month for the hamster.”
“Is this a joke?” Specialist-Good-369 remarked. “Of course, I’m not paying $600 a year for a rodent that lives in a glass box.” They continued, questioning whether they could just refuse to sign the renewal’s new terms for their family hamster. “Will they actually evict me over a hamster?” OP asked in disbelief.
A Pet Is a Pet, Though $50 Rent for a Hamster Is High, According to Reddit
Unfortunately, the Redditors in the comments section weren’t confident that this Georgia tenant could get away with their refusal, especially since it was now written into the updated lease. “As a property manager, I DESPISE pet rent,” begins a commenter. “[However,] It’s legal; they can do it. But it doesn’t make sense. I think a lot of it is a response to how some states limit deposits.”
The user continued, making solid points about animals that could potentially cause issues in a rented space. Fish tanks and aquariums, for instance, can cause upwards of thousands of dollars in water damage to floors, walls, and ceilings. Cats and dogs shed hair, scratch surfaces, make noise, and the like, but hamsters would be the least likely to cause damage.
Others added that, most of the time, the main issue with pets in apartments and townhouses is irresponsible owners or mismanagement. That said, it would still be hard to find how any small hamster could cause significant damage, responsible owner or not.
On the flip side, one Reddit user made a decent argument in favor of the landlord: “The landlord doesn’t know if you are the best pet owner in the world, or like that guy and his daughter. That is why the pet fees are blanketed for anyone with a pet and any pet, sometimes.” Still, many agreed that $50 a month for one hamster is quite steep.
