Landlord invents 'biology fee,' charges tenant $5/month per houseplant: 'This building is already a crumbling mess'

Should you have to pay extra for your houseplants?

The answer here is obviously no. Landlords will do anything to get you to pay an extra fee, and it's never worth it. It's only gravy for them and an annoyance to you. You already pay more than you'd like to in rent, I would venture to imagine. You give your landlord so much, and in return, you get a place to live, and hopefully someone to look after the infrastructure of your space. But it doesn't always happen this way. Sometimes (often) landlords ignore their most urgent duties and then spend their time coming up with ridiculous fees and rent hikes. It's a common problem that comes up when you're dealing with landlords, and it's something that can really add some frustration to your day-to-day life. Plus, you can feel powerless against them. There is not much you can do, for fear of eviction. 

Sometimes, you'll hear someone else's landlord story, and it makes you grateful that yours isn't as bad as this one. Sometimes fees are so outrageous and ridiculous that you have to laugh, if only to keep from crying. The one in this story had that effect and riled up a bunch of tenants, even ones who were just reading the story. This is the power of the internet. It brings us together, often against a common enemy. This is pretty powerful stuff.