While the trend is cooling down, the past few years have seen incredible rental price increases across the country. “Typical asking rents in the U.S. are now $2,011, on average, representing a 3.2% increase compared with the same time last year,” says NerdWallet—and in recent years, some cities have seen rental price increases of 49% or more.
That said, renters are finding that these higher prices do not generally bring them better apartments. One user claimed that their landlord demanded they pay 25% more year-over-year for the same apartment. Another showed that their landlord was circumventing rental price increase limits by hiking up the cost of a parking space. A further TikToker alleged that their landlord increased rent by $400 solely out of spite.
Now, another renter’s woes have sparked discussion on TikTok after she says her landlord increased her rental price by $100 per month after making no changes to the apartment.
“Apartment complexes are out of f*cking control,” says TikTok user Stephanie (@surelysteph) in a video with over 709,000 views.
“I have lived in the same apartment. No updates have been made to the property, to my specific apartment, literally nothing since I’ve lived here, and we just got our lease renewal and they want an extra $100 a month,” Stephanie says.
“On top of that, I pay $50 for garage parking so that I have secure parking so I don’t get taken, and they want to up that from $50 to $90,” she continues. “No updates have been made.”
In addition to a lack of updates, Stephanie notes that she’s had multiple issues go unaddressed in the building. She claims she sent “over 20 maintenance requests” to fix issues, yet the landlord is still increasing rental prices.
“Now, I’m very lucky because I’m married, so my husband and I split these costs. So 100 extra dollars a month for the rent going up, $50 a person. Okay,” she details. “If I was single, 100 extra dollars a month on top of extra garage parking—so an extra $140 I have to make [appear] to live in the same place with the same f*cking amenities? Bro.”
@surelysteph I HATE IT HERE 🥲🥲🥲 #renting #greed #renter #capitalism ♬ original sound – Stephanie Ann
In the comments section, users shared their thoughts on landlords and rent increases.
“We need rent control with all 50 states. That’s insane,” wrote a user. “No major upgrades, no raise in rent!”
“Apartment complexes near me are requesting $3k a month, make 3x the rent & no utilities are included in that price,” offered another. “BFFR cause what????”
“Thanks for the shout out for the singles – it’s bleak out here living in a society entirely based on dual income households,” stated a third.
The Daily Dot reached out to Stephanie via TikTok direct message.