A now-viral TikTok of a landlord telling a tenant of over ten years that he will be doubling her rent has sparked debate on the platform.
TikTok user Raul Bolufe (@therealraulbolufe) posted the video on Jan. 29. As of Feb. 1, the video garnered over 1 million views.
In the video, Bolufe called his tenant to introduce himself as the new property owner, and asked if she wanted to continue renting the house.
“You’re currently rented for $1,100. That house is in Miami. It’s a pretty low price in today’s market,” he said. Bolufe explained that he would have to raise the rent if she were to stay. He said other houses in the area cost about $2,500 a month to rent.
“I would want you to stay, but we have to raise it a little bit. We could take the lower end of $2,000 to $2,200,” he proposed.
The tenant expressed shock that he asked her to pay “over double [her] current rent,” and explained that she already works two jobs to support herself and her children.
@therealraulbolufe Raising my tenant’s rent Part 1 #Realestate #Realestateinvesting #floridarealestate #rentalproperty #rent #realtorlife #landlord #miami #florida ♬ original sound – Therealraulbolufe
On Jan. 31, Bolufe posted another part of the interaction. In the second video, the tenant continued to call him out for being “ridiculous” and even threatened to “burn the house down” or get her brothers involved.
“If you don’t want to stay for that price, I’m going to have to put in a 30-day notice,” Bolufe said. “You could leave peacefully on time, but I definitely can’t make it work at that current rent amount.”
The tenant insisted she would not pay the higher rent and called Bolufe a “con artist” before hanging up.
@therealraulbolufe Raising my tenant’s rent Part 2 #Realestate #Realestateinvesting #floridarealestate #rentalproperty #rent #realtorlife #landlord #miami #florida ♬ original sound – Therealraulbolufe
While Bolufe may have expected praise, many commenters criticized him for doubling the rent.
“I agree with her. to double her rent! that’s crazy. I could see a couple hundred or so but DAMN!” one viewer wrote.
“Dude really filmed himself like this was gonna be received well,” another commented.
Others pointed out that the sharp rent increase is unethical at best. At worst, it may be illegal.
“Ridiculous… it’s legalized theft… and he does it with a smile… this is why no one can afford to live anywhere… it’s sad,” one user wrote.
“She signed a lease. She doesn’t have to pay a cent more than what’s in her contract,” a second stated.
“Has her lease expired? Sufficient notice has to be given. He’s just hoping she doesn’t talk to an attorney,” another added.
The Daily Dot reached out to Bolufe via email.
