Landlord Increases Tenant's Rent By 22.5% To Fund Her Extravagant Lifestyle
Is it appropriate for landlords to use their tenants' rent money to pay off their personal expenses?
shisu_ka / Shutterstock, @sleepy.w1llow / TikTok A tenant is encouraging her landlord to get a job after her rent was increased for her landlord’s own financial benefit.
She is not the only one who has encountered this dilemma. Many other tenants are sharing their own stories where their landlords suddenly asked for more rent money for unnecessary reasons.
A landlord increased a tenant’s rent by 22.5% to fund her extravagant lifestyle.
In a TikTok video that has been viewed over 400,000 times, user @sleepy.w1llow, a college student, explained why her rent was suddenly increased by her landlord. According to the student, her landlord wanted to gain funds to support her and her adult daughter’s lifestyle by charging her multiple tenants extra rent money each month.
“Landlord explaining that she has to up the rent 22.5% on her multiple houses to pay for her and her adult daughter’s lifestyle,” she wrote in the text overlay of her video, dubbed over audio that said, “I’m sure we can find something for you to do on stage.”
The tenant suggested another idea for her landlord to earn some extra money that doesn't involve overcharging her tenants. “Maybe get a f–--ing job,” she added. “Or stop relying on students to fund your hoarding of homes!”
Other renters claimed that their landlords also charged them extra rent money for their own personal expenses.
The tenant is not the only one who has experienced this issue with her landlord. Other TikTok users flocked to the comments section to share their own similar experiences.
“[My] landlord did that too but took a trip with the extra cash,” one user revealed. “I hate it here and trying to move but I can't show three times the rent at the moment.”
“Mine would add ‘additional costs’ with 24 due dates and I’d find out from their friends it’s because they came short for their personal expenses,” another user commented.
Other users made their own suggestions to the tenant of what she should do that did not involve paying her landlord extra rent money. “Cook a bunch of lard and just pour it in all the drains,” one user encouraged. “Join a renters union!” another wrote.
However, others argue that being a landlord is a job and that they are within their rights to increase their tenants’ rent at any time. “Technically that is her [the landlord’s] job,” one user commented.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, being a landlord is not considered an occupation. Instead, it is a form of generating a passive income.
Can landlords increase their tenants' original rent?
As to whether or not landlords are legally allowed to increase their tenants’ rent, the decision is all based on the city the tenants live in, rent control laws in the area, and the specifics of leases.
If the market value of a property goes up, landlords are within their rights to increase the rent for the tenants living in the home. Of course, there are a few limitations that prevent landlords from increasing rent.
It is illegal for landlords to raise rent if they fail to provide at least a 30-day notice to tenants. Additionally, it is illegal for them to increase rent for discriminatory reasons against tenants, including charging them extra based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, and so on.
It is unclear as to whether or not the tenant who posted the video's landlord had the right to increase her rent to pay off her personal expenses, and other TikTok users advised her to seek legal help. It is essential to understand your rights as a tenant if you are renting and to be aware of the specific laws regarding rent in your area.
In the end, the tenant in the video claims that the “jokes on” her landlord, since she owned an illegal pet hamster while living in the home, which went against house rules.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.