Apartments And Fish Tanks?

[jiffy]

I will be moving in Oct/Nov into an apartment building or an apartment in a house. As of right now I have a 10g and a 30g tank.

What is the way to go about making sure a fish tank is ok with the landlord? Is it even something I should even ask? Or should I just get a place and then move the tanks in, as long as the lease does't specifically say "No Fish Tanks"?

 

[Tolak]

If the lease says no pets, tell them you raise fish to eat.

Seriously, I would set them up & make sure you have your belongings insured. Liability insurance should cover any water mishaps.

 

[clareriley]

If it doesnt say no fish then I think you should just have them, its not as if its a 100G and it might fall through the floor.

 

[rusty]

Just go for it my contract states no pets but i had to have a tank so just got one and my landlord came round for a chat about a leak in a bedroom ceiling so i thought there was no need for him too go into the living room where my tank i kept. Then he suggested we sit down and sort out times for someone to come and sort the problem. so obviously i couldnt stop him going into the living room just sort hung my head and followed him in but all was good he complimented my tank saying how nice it looked then ended up having a chat for about 10 minutes on tropicals and how his son used to keep them so all was good helps having a cool landlord tho good luck just go for it god i go on

 

[lljdma06]

I say clear it up with the landlord first. 99% of the time, they really don't care and most actually like the tank option, since it's less messy (obviously they've never done Water changes) and less obtrusive. As long as the tank isn't too heavy. The worst they can say is "No", but if they are among the 99% that say "Yes", then you never have to worry about them coming in and avoiding rooms.

 

[CBTF]

I live in an apartment and nobody really cares. Your tanks are small so i'd doubt it even matters. Go with your gut instinct though. If you feel you should ask, do it. If not, then just set up the tanks.

Does the lease mention pets at all? I know that's different though.

 

[Conqueror]

Just ask the landlord first. Most will be fine with it, but if you don't ask and set up your tanks without permission, and the landlord finds out, you could be looking at an eviction notice. If you don't own the house, you should always ask.

CQ

 

[SLC Flyfishing]

none of my landlords have ever cared about fishtanks. I have a friend that can't have anything over a certain size though (I think it's 55 gallons) just ask to make sure. Your landlord will probably be OK with it. Even if he isn't, wouldn't you like some time to find good homes for your fish? If you got caught with an illegal tank in your apartment, he'd probably make you remove it immediately.

 

[Kairi]

we've only had one landlord who specifically said "no fish" ... the rest don't care. i was worried our present landlady would charge me a pet fee, she only complimented the tank and ogled over the fry

 

[TammyLiz]

Ask questions before you sign a lease about everything that is important to you. Don't sign until you read those particular parts! I have gotten myself into such a mess by just taking someone's word for something. When you have a problem and say "Well when I moved in you said...", it doesn't matter because they can just say "Well, it's written right here in the lease you signed". Grrr.
The last apartment I lived in allowed only one tank and unless it was on the first floor it couldn't be over 20 gallons. They were so strict about everything else I didn't even try to push it--landlords can be so nasty! Tanks were the least of my worries. I hated renting, and I hope I never have to do it again. Hopefully your landlord will be nice and allow you to have whatever fish you want. It may have something to do with the age of the building, though. I could understand limitations if there was a chance of the floor collapsing.