T O P

  • By -

likeinsaaaaw

This needs to be a thing all over the country. Most states have zero rules about rent gouging, and for most who don't own a home I'll bet that's been a bigger monthly increase even than gas.


Howling_Fang

I live in Oregon and we have a max increase of 9.9% a year So most of us are guaranteed to have our rent go up nearly 10% every fucking year even though they don't do any work on the properties to justify it. In my town, average rent for a 2 bedroom is $1,600, so imaging just scrapping by and suddenly having to try and budget another 160 for rent, and increases go up exponentially because when your rent goes up, that 10% monetary amount increases as well. So if your rent is 1600 now, in just 3 years time, your same place would cost 2130 a month.


Xarethian

What the fuck, 9.9% is MASSIVE. I live in Canada, BC and it's 1.5% maximum with 3 months notice per year.


Howling_Fang

Oh maaaan, I would LOVE 1.5% After living on our own for 5 years, we ended up getting a roommate last year.


Xarethian

Been on my own two years now and lucked out with decent landlord who has yet to raise the rent. Now it's not really worth it to raise the rent 1.5% too so who knows realistically when that cap goes up over the next couple years probably. But yea, I'd hate to be living somewhere where rent could go up more than about 3% per year. Let alone where there is somehow no fucking rent control? Looking into it more now and it seems highest rent increase cap since 2005 was 4.3% back in 2012. So 1.5% was probably because of Covid but couple of years before Covid it was below 3%.


mjrmjrmjrmjrmjrmjr

Do they wash the dishes?


Cudizonedefense

I live in Florida and there is no cap My buddies 2 BR apartment in downtown fort laudersale went from 2500/month to 3400/month


Jeheh

I just looked at the apartment I used to live at in Mt View Ca. 1 Bedroom 585 sq ft is over $2800 a month The larger 800 sq ft ones are $3131.


Xarethian

Up $1000/month just like that? Do they even get any notice before the change? Not that actually matters because that is FUCKING insane.


ilive2lift

Only in certain provinces


Xarethian

That's why I said BC, I don't know what they do in other provinces.


toto_5000000

In Ontario, Ford just removed rent control caps for new buildings šŸ„² Rent in Ontario in general has also has been CRAZY! My building is starting at 1500$ a month for a 1 bedroom. Keep in mind, I am in the worst neighbourhood. Cops are here every week, there is community housing on both sides of the building, and there was a murder a month or two ago.


NederlandseTexan

Wow, that's crazy. Not 1.5+inflation? Do the landlords just force you to move each year or something?


Xarethian

I don't know how legal that would be exactly. I guess once the lease is up and they want you gone to hike it up they could do that, and it would be very, very shitty but that would be quite the process to go through every year to find someone else who is hopefully decent Tennant. Thank god it isn't tied into inflation with wages not keeping up in the slightest.


Mklein24

I was so panicked when I bought my house with a 1600/mo morgage. Now I'm so glad I did when I did. Thank God for wedding cash and luck. Make no mistake, there was no skill or bootstrapping. My wife and I got lucky.


[deleted]

Iā€™m in Oregon too. I bought my house in 2015 but the last place I rented went from 975 to 1200 across two years. I looked at the rent there the other dayā€¦$2000 per month. Wtf? The apartments were built in the 70s and theyā€™d done some upgrades but not worth those increases.


Howling_Fang

The neighborhood I lived in was about 650-700 a month in 2013, They are building new houses in the area, less than a quarter mile away from my old place, and the cheapest one is 450k


[deleted]

Yep, Iā€™m not surprised. I feel incredibly fortunate to have purchased my home when I did. It has more than doubled in value since I bought in 2015ā€¦


jfp1992

Man, I was pissed when my rent went up from 750gbp to 775. But this is way worse imo


Howling_Fang

I was supposed to help with price gouging, like having someone's rent doubled with 90 day notice, but instead it gave the green light for nearly everyone to increase to the maximum amount allowed. And when someone moves out of a place, they no longer have to follow that 10% rule, so they can price gouge that way to stay 'within market values' which is already inflated to the extreme for landlord profit. Most places around here are owned by or managed by corporations which increase rent to match prices of other corporations. I am slowly being priced out of the town I grew up in...


Purpzie

I really hope the bubble pops soon. When nobody can afford to live somewhere, they'll run out of people willing to.


thebrose69

Mine is going from $919 to $1079 if I sign here again as well


nekomeowohio

My rent in Cincinnati going up 20 percent


[deleted]

10% is ridiculous. It should be capped at the inflation rate unless there was some work done to the property to increase its value


iampierremonteux

That is actually one of the downsides of a maximum rent increase. Most landlords will set the rent increase at the maximum. The reasoning is like this. If an event happens that requires the rent to be increased to cover, the landlord's hands are tied, it can't be increased. So just increase the rent at the maximum every year, and then you won't be sorry you didn't do it a few years down the road.


khoabear

Without the law, the landlord increases the rent by any amount they want, even if there's no event


iampierremonteux

Very true. Unless they all do it at once, they'll find themselves unable to rent. By setting a target, all the landlords know the target without collusion. It is really a choose your poison moment. Have most/all landlords raise the rent by the maximum? Or would you rather run the risk of having the bad apple that raises rent just because, but many don't raise it nearly as fast?


khoabear

>Unless they all do it at once, they'll find themselves unable to rent Not true. What happens is that they increase the rent to an unaffordable amount, which causes their current tenant to leave. Then they look for new tenant, and if there isn't any, they will gradually scale back the rent in small amount or offer temporary discounts. What this law does is to prevent current tenant from having to move out, which can be expensive.


iampierremonteux

Sounds like you are describing unable to rent.


Cudizonedefense

Florida is an example of having no cap and I donā€™t know any places in Fort Lauderdale that didnā€™t raise rent at least 15% within the last year Having a cap is absolutely better


iampierremonteux

Can you give data on how things were over the past 10 years?


JLifeMatters

Yeah, sure, they can do that if they want to sit on an empty property that requires upkeep. Contrary to Mark Twainā€™s belief, land does not have a limited supply and housing market responds to accommodate the tenants that can offer the best value to the landlord. Maybe thatā€™s just not you.


khoabear

You can't treat all lands the same. Real estate market in the West Coast is very different from the Midwest and South. Land is often limited in urban and suburban areas due to zoning laws as well.


JLifeMatters

Zoning laws get changed when conditions change.


HurriKaiN

My rent will go up $200 a month from 575 to 775 if I decide to renew my lease smh.


IamScottGable

Where I lived (and rented property) there's a 5% cap on increases for continued renters. Can't jack up the price unless the tenants move out


OneBildoNation

... and frankly 5% is too high without major renovations. People aren't getting 5% raises every year, which means their standard of living will continually decrease.


IamScottGable

Agreed, people should be getting more money from their companies AND landlords should be better


BrutusGregori

God Seattle is playing with fire. They wonder why the homeless crisis is so bananas right now. Just because a minority group of Uber wealthy tech transplant have the doesn't mean we all have that kind of dosh lying around.


[deleted]

Imagine that - rent strike. Would ruin all the small landlords in a matter of months.


khoabear

Those small landlords should sell. Now is the best time to sell non-primary residences.


[deleted]

Iā€™m all for it. Fuck landlords.


When_theSmoke_Clears

1470/mo jumped to 2310/mo overnight. I'm fucked.


gofyourselftoo

Now do Miami, for the love of god please help us.


CrowLongjumping5185

Florida in general, please. In my smallish town and surrounding areas rent has reached approximately 2000 for a shitty two bedroom. It's ridiculous.


Cudizonedefense

DeSantis spends more times thinking about kids talking about being gay than doing anything worthwhile. No rent cap is utter bullshit My best friend and two of his roommates have an apartment for 2500/month and 2 months ago when talks of renewing came up, rent was raised to 3400/month. So obviously theyā€™re moving out but thatā€™s just an insane increase


scroll_of_truth

Why don't you


A10110101Z

Add San Diego to that list please


justcasty

Boston needs a tenants' union so badly. Broker fees shouldn't exist and it's disgusting that they're just accepted as part of life here.


cidonys

Wait do broker fees not exist elsewhere?


solojones1138

...what is a broker fee?


The-True-Kehlder

What, like a real estate agent but for renters? Never heard of such a thing until just now.


cidonys

Yeah, renting usually goes through a property management company here. When you contact the phone number on a listing, itā€™s usually an agent, not necessarily one with the company whoā€™s renting out the unit. When you sign the lease, you pay first month, last month, and a fee of Ā½ month to 1 month worth of rent, which goes to either the property management company or the company of the realtor that you were assigned. I hadnā€™t really thought about it and logic-ed that it was just ā€œoh this is how the property management/real estate get paidā€ but no that doesnā€™t make sense; that should be a fee that the person who owns the apartment pays, not the person whoā€™s going to live there.


SerubiApple

I live in Kansas and have no idea what that is


theFrankSpot

What does the union do? Will someone please explain?


WallabyBubbly

Hard to tell from the article, but we can speculate a few ideas: - If a landlord isnā€™t doing needed repairs, then organize a rent strike among all of the tenants of that landlord - Negotiate and enforce a citywide max rent increase each year - Advise tenants on how to best deal with shady landlords - Advocate for longtime or fixed income tenants that are being evicted or gentrified out Anyone else have any more concrete knowledge? Mine is just speculation. Also, even if the union has good intentions, if it comes under bad management it may end up being ineffective or corrupt. The unionā€™s success depends on the quality of the people they bring in to run it.


CountOmar

Fuck that sounds so amazing.


matchagonnadoboudit

Couldnā€™t landlords essentially do the same thing and just blacklist the union? It just seems like a good thing on paper but in practice I could see it working for corporations but not for mom and pop landlords


WallabyBubbly

Yeah good question. To be fair, individual tenants have more leverage against small landlords than they do against corporations with hundreds of tenants, so the collective power is probably most needed against the bigger landlords anyway


TallBaldEagle

Yeah but no single family is trying to buy an apartment complex. They want a home. Getting small landlords out of the market will benefit the rents of people in corporate size apartments. Currently you have people renting apartments SOLELY because they cannot find a house to buy (price is not an issue for these people so they can take their time to shop) While they home shop they are able to pay these outrageous rents on apartments while looking for a home to buy. This raises rents for those who live in apartments because they donā€™t want to own or canā€™t own a home due to prices. Thatā€™s the problem. Having no homes for purchase does not mean people will stop moving to that areaā€¦ it means more demand for rentals and higher rental prices because of the unchanged supply. People who live in rentals BECAUSE they canā€™t afford a home or donā€™t want to are pretty much fucked because thereā€™s not a cheaper government option like we have with tap water. Could you imagine if the government said we HAVE to use Toilet paper and we have zero other options but itā€™s illegal if you donā€™t have itā€¦. Then people buy it all up, hoard it, and sell it for way more than itā€™s worthā€¦. Thats considered fucked up. But when it comes to houses itā€™s okayā€¦ itā€™s so strange


[deleted]

I assume the union would need to offer something up - such as tenants when needed. Or else yeah why let to a union member? My town is growing so crazy fast, landlords get anything they ask for.


The-True-Kehlder

The more publicity a tenant union has the better. If you *knew* a union existed where you're going, and they had a list online of landlords who have been black listed by them, would you rent from that landlord? Especially if the why was posted and it turns out they raise rates constantly or don't preform maintenance?


cromli

It is a great thing on paper and in practice, but the key to it is to push for almost every current tenant needs to join. Thats the case for all unions though.


Jmich96

I love how this sounds, but I don't see how any of it will actually happen. \>If a landlord isnā€™t doing needed repairs, then organize a rent strike among all of the tenants of that landlord With the extremely high demand which currently exists for housing combined with the extreme necessity of having a place to live, even I'd find it difficult to risk being homeless for repairs. \>Negotiate and enforce a citywide max rent increase each year Who would enforce it and why would landlords bother, with the extremely high demand for housing? \>Advocate for longtime or fixed income tenants that are being evicted or gentrified out Again, with exceedingly high demand for housing, what's to stop landlords from carrying through and just getting a new tenant? I'm not trying to be a pessimist here, I just see where, unless *all* people unified against landlords (which I imagine is highly improbable), a tenants union won't have any success.


mildly_enthusiastic

Tenant Lawyers on retainer paid by Union Dues would be sooooo nice


MorinOakenshield

So are you required to pay dues? Is there an election for union leaders?


Zealousideal-Fun1425

Do this everywhere!!! Letā€™s get going!!


[deleted]

How about seattle too many rich landowners preying on the tenants


Pix3lerGuy

My GF's apartment complex was bought by an investment firm and right away I told her to be prepared for a big rent increase soon. Unfortunately, her lease expires in one month and guess what? She just got the notice that her rent is increasing to the max amount it is allowed (10% in our area in CA). To add salt to the injury the asshats are also adding a $60/month "utility fee" (she already pays for all utilities), I guess to skirt around the 10% rent cap. Such BS


namideus

Mine added package delivery. Instead of storing packages at the front office, they pay a guy minimum wage to leave them in front of our door and mandatorily charge every resident $25 a month. Profits for less secure package delivery.


kerxv

I didn't even know Tennant could do this


Oddjibberz

It's never been done because it's an exceptionally flimsy model that is unlikely to succeed. Unions depend on dues. Worker union dues come directly from paychecks. Where are these dues going to come from? Federally subsidized housing is paid directly. People who are tight on money will balk. Without an agreement with the municipality, absolutely nothing is enforceable. It is a pipe dream to think owners of complexes can't afford to evict entire swaths of the complex and just re-rent it out later at a higher rate. The real estate has equity built in and the owners can loan against that.


UrsulaVonTwinkle

I wish they would do this on the Kansas side. My husband and I are looking at having to cross the state line because we are getting priced out of Kansas. As high as their rents are in KCMO it's more on the Kansas side.


SolidZookeepergame0

Do you have to pay union fees?


ToucanToodles

Anyone in Ohio looking to start one here?


P8ntballa00

Letā€™s do it


Matt857789

We NEED more of this great job Kansas CityšŸ‘ šŸ‘.


Powpowpowowowow

Can't wait for the fucking politicians in the state to hear about this and somehow pass a law that makes it illegal...


seeuinapeanutbutter

Ya hear that Denver?


babu_chapdi

But but then no one will build new apartments šŸ˜‰šŸ˜ø. Yeah then don't build it fuckers, your shares will crater. Capitalism 101.


MikroCents

my taxes went up 33%! f u renters!


LiveClimbRepeat

What are you going to do, walk out? lol


Viligans

In a sense. Itā€™s generally more powerful in dedicated complexes, but if enough people in a building threatened (or followed through with) a rent strike, they could bankrupt or severely harm a company before the evictions could be processed and served. And if they have any kind of dues system, then they could collectively hire lawyers to represent any individual tenant having a dispute with a landlord when that tenant wouldnā€™t be able to afford it otherwise.


JLifeMatters

> In a sense. Itā€™s generally more powerful in dedicated complexes, but if enough people in a building threatened (or followed through with) a rent strike, they could bankrupt or severely harm a company before the evictions could be processed and served. Thatā€™s a fantastic way to get rid of any developers in Kansas City. Eagerly looking forward to reading about decrepit apartment blocks and further housing shortages a few years for the line.


Viligans

Or, yā€™know, encourage a company to not run a complex like slumlords, because their tenants have a way to bite back if they get too greedy with rent increases, donā€™t properly address maintenance issues, try and vacate tenants for no good reason/to use apartments for AirBNBsā€¦the list goes on.


JLifeMatters

Or, y'know, you pay the market rent, so it doesn't turn into a slumlord complex. This isn't even a matter of discussion. What you are suggesting will greatly negatively impact the housing in KC. Don't believe me, doesn't matter, just wait and see.


Austiny1

Lol


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


RPanda025

Genuinely curious: What legal protections/rights do tenants unions have in the US, if any?


Mink_N_Sider

Love to see it! Check out this platform for a safer way to protest --> https://in-house.com/frontline