A TikToker has revealed a new way landlords are capitalizing on multi-generational living to hike rent prices.
In a viral video, TikToker user @greygalaxie shared that her landlord told her he was increasing her rent by $50 because of a “new craze” of more and more people moving in with their parents or kids.
“So I spoke to my landlord about a month ago, and he said, ‘Hey, I’m raising your rent by $100, but then I won’t raise your rent again for two years,'” she said in the video. “And I was like, ‘Wow, thank you so much, sir. I really appreciate that.'”
The tenant added that her landlord claimed he was “the type of landlord who likes to make sure that his clients can afford the homes they live in.”
However, an unfortunate surprise came a few days before she posted the video on Oct. 21. The landlord reportedly called again and said he was raising her rent by another $50.
“The rental agency that I just started working with says that there’s this new craze where people are starting to move in with their parents or parents are starting to move in with their kids,” the landlord reportedly said. “It’s just happening all over the place, and it’s a great new way to make more money.”
The TikToker explained to her landlord that she and her family were not following a trend; they lived together out of necessity.
“You guys know that we’re moving in together because we can’t afford to live by ourselves, and you guys are looking at this as a new way of making more income?” she asked.
The landlord reportedly did not seem to care and replied, “Yeah, we’ll talk about it again next month,” after the TikToker reluctantly agreed to pay the extra $50.
@greygalaxie @Andrew these landlords be landlording…#landlord #landords #fyp ♬ Quirky Suspenseful Indie-Comedy(1115050) – Kenji Ueda
The video, which has an on-screen caption that reads, “LANDLORD’S BE LORDING,” has since accumulated over 522,100 views.
Many viewers expressed outrage and sympathy for the tenant in the comments section.
“The fact he called it a craze instead of a disaster,” one user wrote.
“The way he explained it like ‘Poverty: It’s super trendy right now,'” another commented.
“We are being exploited at EVERY TURN,” a third said.
Some also compared the situation to pet rent, a fee that some landlords charge for allowing tenants to have animals in their homes.
“It’s pet rent for people,” one user said.
“I used to think pet rent was absurd, now they’re charging… grandma rent?” another questioned.
The Daily Dot reached out to @greygalaxie via email for comment.
