Rents have been on the rise since the pandemic, but rates have gotten even higher as of late, and one TikToker has the receipts to prove it.
In September, Tennessee man Jon Hopkins (@iamjon_hopkins) has to renew his lease. His landlord offered him the option to start a month-to-month rental agreement. However, as Hopkins showed on his video, the month-to-month agreement came with a number of additional charges that skyrocketed his payments to almost double.
“So it’s time to renew our lease and our apartment complex just showed us what the month-to-month option would be,” he says in the clip as he zooms into the list of new charges.
“We currently pay $2,300,” he notes, as he pans over the new rate, which, in addition to rent, includes charges for storage space, pet rental income, exterminating expenses, parking, amenity income, and utilities.
Hopkins pans the camera over to the total, which adds up to $5,291 per month—more than double the rate he was paying before. The video ends there.
Are rents getting higher nationwide?
According to CBS News, rents have risen 30.4% since the pandemic, whereas wages have only risen 20.2%. This means that many Americans are finding that most of their paycheck goes toward their rental cost, leaving them to struggle with other everyday expenses. This can often lead to skimping on necessities such as child care and groceries.
The Daily Dot has reported on a Chicago resident who reported that the rent on her small studio apartment was being raised to $1,850, which she said couldn’t afford. Another renter reported that the rent on an apartment she saw online went up by $300 in one week, which was the amount of time between when she found the apartment and was able to tour it in person.
Hopkins received 64,700 views on his post, and almost 1,000 likes. Commenters were equally frustrated with the rental market.
@iamjon_hopkins Our lease went from $2300 to $5200 #apartment #rent #rentalproperty #apartmenttour ♬ original sound – Jon Hopkins
“Our base rent was $1,600, they wanted SEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS for month to month,” vented one person.
“That’s a mortgage on a million dollar home…” pointed out another about Hopkins’ rent increase.
“I don’t understand why parking have to increase every year. The spot isn’t changing and the lines are barely visible,” wrote one user.
“Check your city. A lot of cities have a cap on the amount you can raise rent. That’s a 100% increase,” suggested someone else.
The Daily Dot reached out to Hopkins via TikTok direct message, but did not receive a response as of publication.
