I too have had to pay a fee like this at both apartment complexes I have rented at. It is kind of BS, however it is what it is. My current situation though I am really starting to grow tired and actually hate apartment living so I am actually starting to look for a house. With interest rates so low right now and it being a buyer's market it makes sense. Plus for what I am paying in rent for a dinky apartment I don't own I could invest for a couple hundred more into a house I would own and can build up my future around. I understand my way of thinking may not be for everyone, however it actually just seems to make sense.