RentRant

I remember when I moved to MI, my rent was $1000 a month for 750 sqft. In MI, that was somewhat unreasonable. But I was near campus, the building had personality, and it included parking. When I moved in, the rent was $875 but over the course of 4 years it increased the $125.

When I got a rent increase of $55*, I f'kn freaked. I started looking up Michigan Tenants Rights (turns out you're screwed), I looked for other apartments, I pissed and moaned about it (Professional at work), and ultimately signed on for another year.

I don't know why rent increases get my goat so bad. This year, again I got the sticker shock. My rent increased by $200 per month. That's $200 in my first year, not over the course of 4 years. That, my faithful reader(s?), is fuuuuuucked up.

I went into the management office to call them on their increase, however I kept referring to my new lease as an eviction notice. Unfortunately, since my apartment is neither rent stabilized nor the exception to the fair market rule, the odds were stacked against me. Frankly, there were no odds, I was beat before I walked in the door.

I argued that the rate of inflation coupled with the average raise at a job didn't even match that rent increase, and that I, as a result of their decision, would need to ask for a raise at a job I've only had a week.

The woman I was dealing with, who was simply a patsy for The Man, had no real response. She really couldn't do anything for me, and my pleas of poverty fell on deaf ears. Once thing is universally true: landlords, management companies and the like check their souls at the door when they enter into this business (which I assume is by some faustian design).

Once again I've caved to their demands. I have signed on for another year. But in the same breath, I have made a barrage of maintenance requests. So I will have my revenge with frivolous caulking, retiling and staining.

Revenge will be mine...$12.99 at a time.

Posted by davidissimo  ::  Permalink  ::  Comments [3]  ::