Staggering Rent Increases Spark Outrage on Twitter

There was a short time during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic when rents started to go down. I was lucky to negotiate a decrease and promptly signed a two year lease for my tiny apartment. Many of my friend were able to negotiate similar situations. We all expected the rents to rise, but this year many cities, and even suburbs, are seeing increases that go far beyond anything anyone could have expected. Many renters are seeing their rents jacked up by 30% or more. It's creating quite the crisis, with tenants scrambling to find housing in a market that seems increasingly exploitative.  

Twitter user @raadzzi provided one such example yesterday when they tweeted this email correspondence with their home's management company. In the email, management informed OP that if they want to renew their lease, their rent would be increased from $3,200 a month to the staggering “market rate” of $4,400. That's 37.5%. 

The follow-up email is equally heartless. 

While most people are sympathetic, there are the token “Just move” responses, which are frighteningly ignorant. Cities provide job opportunities that many other places simply can't. Add that to the cost of moving, especially with these gas prices, and the point is moot. Not everyone has the luxury of uprooting their lives to move somewhere that is cheaper. 

The viral tweet has inspired many people to respond with their own frustration, and their similarly frustrating stories.

This user shared a photo of a news report in Nashville - where rents have gone up just as much. 

The bottom line here is that these increases are completely unsustainable - and straight up cruel. This bubble needs to burst. We think this user really says it best: