© 2026 Western New York Public Broadcasting Association

140 Lower Terrace St.
Buffalo, NY 14202

Toronto Address:
130 Queens Quay E.
Suite 903
Toronto, ON M5A 0P6


Mailing Address:
Horizons Plaza P.O. Box 1263
Buffalo, NY 14240-1263

Buffalo Toronto Public Media | Phone 716-845-7000
BTPM NPR Newsroom | Phone: 716-845-7040
Differing shades of blue wavering throughout the image
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Your home or your pet: When pet fees are used to force a choice

Young 12 week old sandy colored cockapoo puppy looks up as he walks across a garden in low sun. (Getty Images)
Young 12 week old sandy colored cockapoo puppy looks up as he walks across a garden in low sun. (Getty Images)

Many Americans say they can’t live without their pets, but some can’t live with them because of unaffordable pet fees.

They could include a monthly rent a landlord charges to house a pet (on top of regular rent) or a non-refundable pet deposit. And like many other forms of housing discrimination, research shows these fees affect low-income tenants and tenants of color the most.

Here & Now‘s Celeste Headlee speaks with Carol Mithers, a journalist and author who has been following this issue.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.