Fees for children would be illegal discrimination under fair housing laws.
this post was submitted on 12 Apr 2026
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They would charge extra if it was not illegal
They would make them dig coal if it was not illegal
This goes for everything...
Maybe they would if they could, but they can't so they don't. I'm struggling to find the part OP thinks is a "scam".
The fact that pets cause less damage to the property than kids, but you have to pay more fees if you have a dog.
Because it's illegal to discriminate against tenants with children, such as by charging additional fees. Whether pets or children are more destructive is beside the point.
Who is more destructive is exactly the point. This is also how insurance companies work. Anyways, pet fees are a scam and should not exist either.
I have done a lot of residential work over the years a lot of sales work a lot of things where I've been in a lot of people's houses. Nothing smells worse than a person with cats who even goes a week or two without taking care of their litter box. And that smells sticks in everything. I have pets and I agree that a pet deposit is something needed because damn they do a lot of damage.
How do you go a week without cleaning the litter box?!?
Having said that, my cats do do a fair amount of damage to the carpet and some doors with their claws, so an extra fee makes sense.
They also do a fair amount of damage to furniture; but that generally isn't the landlords.
A lot of times it's due to a disability or a mental illness
But isn't that literally what the deposit is for? You don't just assume someone will have excess damage when renting.
And sure, have a higher deposit for pet owners. But why am I paying a monthly cat fee on top of a one time "non-refundable pet deposit".
But isn’t that literally what the deposit is for?
The deposit is for the damage you expect done by the human.
The pet deposit is for the damage you expect done by the pet in excess of the human.
I don't begrudge any of this on its face. Where I have issue is landlords to refuse to give the deposit back, regardless of the condition of the unit after you leave.
But why am I paying a monthly cat fee on top of a one time “non-refundable pet deposit”.
Because if you can't find a landlord with more generous terms.
The pet deposit is for the damage you expect done by the pet in excess of the human.
Sure, I agree with charging a separate pet deposit. But a lot of times it's just a fee being called a "non-refundable deposit".
Because if you can’t find a landlord with more generous terms.
At least in my area, it just seems like a standard charge apartments do now. If anything, corporate rental properties seem to be charging these fees more than landlords. Private landlords either say no pets or just have a larger deposit. Which indicates that it's about generating additional revenue for these corporations, not purely covering pet damage.
Kids don't pee in the same corner every day for years.
don't you kind of hope that they do, though? most apartments only have one bathroom, and the toilet is always in a corner
I try to pee in the same location every time.
Sorry you missed out dude, I did this all the time as a kid
I lit my mom's apartment on fire once. In my defense, I was four and left unsupervised while she took a nap.
...
You've clearly never fostered.
Had two cats who did zero things.
Had two kids who drew crayolas on the wall and floor and stabbed the walls with pencils.
My kids marked up the walls pretty bad too. Owners said they'll be painting when we leave anyway (original paint job was horrid), but I patch up the holes as they come up.
I had a friend whose small dogs ripped up the carpet and scratched a bunch of doors to the level that I'd rather replace them. Sweet dogs, though.
You never really know how the dice are going to fall hahaha.
If this way of thinking became more widespread, all it would achieve would be the addition of child fees, not the removal of pet fees.
I bet you could take it to court and get all those fees removed, since the precedent has already been set.
They would absolutely charge a "children fee" if they were legally able to.
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This sounds like someone that has never seen what cats can do to a property when the owner doesn't take care of them.
Piss drenched carpet and moldy walls are a pain in the ass to fix.
As someone who rents our previous two places out (at cost, don't shoot me) cats are by far the worst. Dogs might chew on things and be generally destructive, but there is no way to get cat smell out of a place quickly. Even if the cat doesn't actually piss on the floor, just that lingering litterbox smell takes months to fade in my experience.
If you run into the issue again, an enzyme cleaner works quite well in my experience. Nature's Miracle makes a decent one, I've had to use it before
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I vaguely recall reading that such child fees would likely be illegal (in the US)? I think it might also be illegal to exclude families with children from being eligible to rent a given location. Don't quote me on either, though, because I don't have sources on hand.
In Florida you are allowed to age restrict a community to 55+ only, which is effectively a child ban plus anyone younger than the moon landing.
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