A TikToker who lives in Florida says her landlord increased her rent by $900, prompting her to move back in with her parents. The TikTok was posted as people across the state are fighting surging rent prices during a housing crisis.
TikToker Kimberly Marie (@kimberly_mariec) posted the clip explaining her situation on April 25 with the caption: “I’m just in shock bc FL doesn’t seem like they’re doing anything about it lol why is this allowed?!”
@kimberly_mariec I’m just in shock bc FL doesn’t seem like they’re doing anything about it lol why is this allowed?! #housingcrisis #Totinos425 #onlyinmycalvins ♬ original sound – Kimberly Marie🦋
“Can we talk about something serious for a second?” she says. “I am 27 years old now. I have a full-time job, I worked really hard to get here. I have a college degree, everything like that. I’m financially responsible, and in one month I’m going to have to move out of my apartment because I can no longer afford it.”
She continues: “To be really transparent, I live in Florida and I pay about $1,200-1,300 a month for my apartment, not including utilities, all that good stuff. I got my rent renewal offer last month—they raised the rent $900 for my apartment.”
“Honestly, I’m fine,” she says. “I’m moving back in with my parents. But what about the people who don’t have family here. What are they gonna do?”
As of Wednesday, the TikTok has almost 500,000 views.
In the comments, many viewers agreed with the TikToker and shared their own negative experiences with the housing crisis, especially as young adults. “So, we’re all pushing 30 and moving back in with our parents because this country is a joke? Cool,” one user wrote.
“This is why my kids still live at home. They’re 18 and almost 20, and they can stay as long as they want,” another person commented.
One TikToker called Kimberly Marie’s rent increase “insane.” She replied, “I about fell over when I saw the increase.”
“It’s scary because how is our generation going to be able to afford a house?!” another viewer wrote.
Another Floridian shared a similar experience with their own apartment. “I live in tampa and my rent was raised $800 and I had to move out, too.”
The housing crisis in the Sunshine State was prompted by an influx of new renters causing a shortage of housing. The law in Florida also tends to favor landlords over tenants, as there is no regulation of rent increases. Kimberly Marie’s rent increase is common—one family in Aventura said their landlord was going to raise their rent from $4,000 to $6,500, according to an investigation by NBC 6.
Across the nation, millennials are especially in bad shape when it comes to affording housing. Over the past year, housing prices have risen by almost 20%, making the hope of affording a home feel like a pipe dream for many.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @kimberly_mariec via Instagram direct message.
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