diff --git a/netbox/utilities/api.py b/netbox/utilities/api.py
index 35a0fee8a..6793c0526 100644
--- a/netbox/utilities/api.py
+++ b/netbox/utilities/api.py
@@ -129,12 +129,7 @@ def get_annotations_for_serializer(serializer_class, fields_to_include=None):
 
     for field_name, field in serializer_class._declared_fields.items():
         if field_name in fields_to_include and type(field) is RelatedObjectCountField:
-            try:
-                related_field = model._meta.get_field(field.relation).field
-            except FieldDoesNotExist:
-                # Handle RelatedObjectCountField with no related_name given
-                related_field = getattr(model, field.relation).field
-
+            related_field = getattr(model, field.relation).field
             annotations[field_name] = count_related(related_field.model, related_field.name)
 
     return annotations