Landlord raises rent $115 only 3 days after tenant sign lease renewal, tenant claps back: 'You handled this so well'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Jun 25, 2026 9:00 PM EDT

Have you ever had to deal with a terrible landlord?

It's such a common theme that there are many online forums dedicated to it, just like the ironically-titled LandlordLove on Reddit, where this story was shared. We all have some sort of landlord story that chilled us to the bone. It's not easy to deal with them, because they know that they have so much power over you. You need a roof over your head, and they have that, and they never let you forget it. The person in this story knew their rights, though, and wasn't going to let their landlord talk them out of it. They knew that they shouldn't be on the hook for paying more rent, and they wanted their landlord to know that. 

If you never fight back, then you'll be taken advantage of. This is especially true with landlords. They love to look for loopholes in the paperwork so they can squeeze as much out of you as humanly possible. Unless you know your rights, you cannot advocate for yourself. The person in this story tried to do that, and they were unsure whether or not they handled it correctly. You can't just raise rent without notice, especially right after you resigned. You need a place to live, and you don't have to pay a higher rent just because your landlord arbitrarily thought of it. Keep reading to see what happened here and see what you think about it. 

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  • Landlord had the gall to try and raise our rent 3 days after our lease renewed.

    MA MA ? Hey Hope all is well. Italy looks like we would need to raise the rent price. The HOA board just raised the HOA pay again and they did also last year. It just went up by $115 for a special assessment. Also the taxes have been going up the past 3 years, now it's. I know it's difficult to bring that news but you know it's the last thing we want to do. We haven't raised the rent for the last 3 years because we really glad to have you as tenants. We think a $200 per month increase would be r
    via KingdomOfAtaraxia
  • HA !! HA ? H Thank you for reaching out. I understand where you're coming from but unfortunately because my lease automatically renewed on June 7, 2026, for a new one- year term, our agreed-upon rental rate is legally locked in for the entire duration of this active lease contract. Under Illinois contract law, you are legally obligated to honor this current rent price for the remainder of the lease term, which runs through June 7, 2027. The rate cannot be altered mid- term. Additionally, a text
    via KingdomOfAtaraxia

  • Everyone has different communication styles, and it can be hard to know which one to use with whom at what time. It's not easy to move between modes sometimes, and maybe you end up being formal where you should have been casual or casual where you should have been formal. But this person decided they needed to take a firm stance. This is usually a pretty good idea when you're dealing with a landlord. But that's not what everyone thought. Keep reading to see what you think.

  • Commenters weighed in.

    callmymom332299 let us know what happens next!
    via callmymom332299
  • FOR RENT 682-785 BE
    via Erik Mclean

    A for rent sign hanging in a window

  • OnyxZephyr333 Should have let them find all the legal hoops they need to jump through themselves, but still fantastically said!
    via OnyxZephyr333
  • reg_acc Trying to pass off 200 bucks as reasonable is crazy to me. Good on you for knowing your rights!
    via reg_acc
  • multipocalypse I love it when the supposed professional businessperson sounds far less polished, knowledgeable and professional than the customer
    via multipocalypse
  • Top_Box_8952 A renter breaking a lease comes with financial penalties, usually a few months rent, what's the equivalence for landlords?
    via Top_Box_8952
  • nukaxd You shouldn't have explained to him in detail how to properly screw you over for next time and should've let him figure it out but great message! Terrible landlord.
    via nukaxd
  • ponderthisforamoment Good for you to not just accept it, but you did way too much in the messages and you should start planning for a new place to live next year because they will not be resigning you now.
    via ponderthisforamoment
  • Negative_Plantain91 Bad idea, why not just short In sweet, sorry already signed my lease for the next year... this is a great way to get kicked out by the LL at their earliest convenience
    via Negative_Plantain91
  • RENT HOUSE Signature
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    A tenant signs a lease at a desk

  • Carefulsand1218 You're sure the lease auto renewed with their signature too? It wasn't like an auto renew you sign then they do and he hit you up 3 days later that he's not finalizing that contract because of his reasons given? Just because you signed doesn't mean the lease was in effect if they haven't signed agreeing yet as well
    via Carefulsand1218
  • div4ide Typically if you and the landlord don't sign a new lease in Illinois it auto renews month to month. I wouldn't be surprised if an eviction notice is incoming
    via div4ide
  • spf20214757 Your lease auto-renews for 12 month cycles? It doesn't just go month-to-month? That's new for me
    via spf20214757
  • wolfn404 They'll just be non renewed in 2027. They've not raised rent in 3 years? I don't see this as a flex.
    via wolfn404
  • ColoradoSunLight Unfortunately there are usually clauses in leases saying that even if the lease automatically renews there could be an automatic 1-3% increase in rent. You should go through your lease to make sure otherwise they can legally charge you more per the clause.
    via ColoradoSunLight
  • PlaneGeneral5782 Do leases automatically renew for another year in Illinois? Most places it goes month to month unless an extension is signed.
    via PlaneGeneral5782
  • BrickWalls87 You handled this so well. I'm praying to a god I no longer believe in for you. He may find favor for you or ideally ruin for your landlord.
    via BrickWalls87
  • the_climaxt This was a really long way of saying, "No, we have a signed lease." People who write like this typically aren't as confident as they try to sound.
    via the_climaxt
  • europaodin Ya know, it wouldn't be a problem if only wages went up at the same rate. Why does the cost of living rise, but the pay for workers to afford the cost of living does not rise. Like makes no sense. man, it
    via europaodin

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