A user on TikTok is calling out her building’s new management after they decided to raise her rent by $100, even though they have not added anything to the building, offered new services for tenants, or solved ongoing issues.
In a video with over 638,000 views, TikTok user Dani (@dani_the_dreamer) reveals that she went home on her lunch break to discover that someone left a letter in her door. This surprised her, as she said her bills were paid. Upon opening the letter, she discovered her rent would be going up by $100 per month upon her lease renewal.
From there, she went to the secretary of the building’s office and asked why the company was increasing the rent.
“She finally says, ‘I don’t know. Maybe because they want more money,” Dani recalls.
“So the f*ck do I—but, unlike everything else in this f***ed up-a** economy that’s going up, my income is staying the same,” Dani says in the video.
She continues by noting that her building has numerous issues that do not justify a $100 per month price increase. These issues include having to cut her own grass, perform her own maintenance due to incompetence from those hired by the building, repeatedly reminding the building staff to change her air filter, and more.
“Last year they went up and grass went from being cut once a week to maybe every 2-3 then it stopped and she said that was cuz they stopped paying the lawn care company,” Dani writes in a comment. “Where is the money going then?? I pay all utilities sooooo…”
Dani then explains her current predicament in the second person.
“You’re able to calculate in your head that you’re either gonna need a 63-cent raise from your first job in order to not feel the impact of a hundred extra dollars a month—$1,200 a year,” she says. “Or, you’re gonna need to pick up five extra hours at your second job that you already hate—that you’ve already been trying not to work at more than what you have to, because you’re sick and f*cking tired of working 60- and 70-hour work weeks between two jobs just to be able to maintain and live just a little bit.”
Dani isn’t the first to spark discussion after complaining about unreasonable rent increases. One user similarly claimed that their rent was going up by $100 per month despite no changes being made to the apartment. Another alleged that her rent went up by $700 every two weeks. A further user stated that, after their local government instituted a rent cap, their landlord decided to add other fees, allegedly to get around the limit.
@dani_the_dreamer Which one do you think I chose? #storytime #fyp ♬ original sound – Dani_the_dreamer
In the comments section, users shared their own complaints about the current rental market.
“Rent goes up, but maintenence, upkeep, and property care declines,” noted a user.
“Girl mine went up by 225 and these apartment have never been renovated since they were built like what???” questioned another.
“My house payment went up $200 this year and all I did was sit and cry about it on new years,” offered a third. “The bills keep increasing but the income isn’t.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Dani via TikTok direct message.
