So I decided to look further into this story. I've been lamenting my rent recently-- in 2019, it was a hefty 1,900. Now, in 2024, it's 2,850.
This complex prided itself on safety. My car was broken into, and my neighbor's car was stolen. In the garage-- which has no security cameras-- several other, more severe crimes have occurred.
My apartment had roaches for eight months because another tenant left their home in disarray. Nests upon nests of roaches.
Our air-conditioner, which is not optional where I live, has broken down 15 times in the past two years. The emergency maintenance number has never worked, and I recently learned-- after going to visit the managers myself-- that it simply hasn't been working for a year.
Oh, and they told us they can't replace the fridge filters anymore. It's just... oh, perish the thought, too expensive.
And last time we went to re-sign our lease, when I spotted a listing from our building managers-- our exact unit plan, our exact floor-- for 2,315, I took screenshot. Why, I thought, would us long-time tenants be asked to pay 2,850 when new renters were looking at 2,315?
Eleven days later when I went to ask them about it, the listing had mysteriously disappeared. "Oh, when was it that price? It wasn't listed at that price. Oh, that screenshot's from... a few days ago. The market's volatile." They told me. Really? $600 in 11 days volatile?
If we adjust what I was originally paying for cumulative inflation, I should be paying 2,415 a month. It just didn't make sense! But moving was expensive, and the other options in our area were expensive too.
So you can imagine that when I looked into this story and learned the fucking company that the FBI is investigating is the same company that manages my building, I SCREAMED.
