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Her Rent Is Going Up $700 A Month Because Her Landlord Claims That’s What The Apartment Is Worth

A 30-second video has gone viral with over 1 million views and 208 thousand likes with its creator’s self-invented “rap” titled “It’s What the Apartment’s Worth.”

To be honest, the rhythm is so catchy that it will stick in your head after just one or two plays.

TikTok user Grace James posted under her account @justgracejames showing an email thread from her landlord in New York City.

She was informed that her rent would increase by 700 dollars per month because “prices have gone up very high in NYC,” and they “did a big increase because that’s the worth of the apartment.”

Grace could not seem to agree with her landlord, as she demonstrated other parts of the apartment building with graffiti on the entrance walls, unlocked mailbox, muddy stairs, holes in her apartment floor, and chipped paints.

Unfortunately, Grace’s case is not uncommon. According to Rentec Direct, “Most landlords do not regularly raise their rent to match the cost of owning and maintaining a property,” the site explained.

“What ends up happening is after 5 years at a steady rental rate, the owner will realize that a rent increase is necessary to keep up with increasing property taxes, maintenance, and market rates.”

New York City landlords are allowed to increase rents as much as they like based on the market, as long as the apartment is not rent-stabilized, according to NYC Rent Guidelines Board.

TikTok; pictured above is Grace in her video

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