The Rent Is Too Damn High!

[Cantih]

So, in the past week, there's been a rise in the number of articles on this topic.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/15/bu...etType=nyt_now
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...t-one-bedroom/

This is a problem that I'm pretty damn sure, affects anyone who happens to read this post. Sit down, figure out your monthly take home pay, than add up your rent and utilities, and find what percentage you're paying.
Remember to account for roomates/second income earners.
(Hell, homeowners with mortgages can play too, add utilities to your PITI monthly nut.)

Now, landlords/banks aren't just going to be benevolent and take a haircut on this. We've especially seen that with how the mortgage reduction programs have turned out.
The usual call is to contact your politicians, and have them do something about that. Considering voter apathy and political inertia, we know that this route takes fucking forever. Anyways, the current focus is on raising wages, nevermind that prices will likely rise to meet them sooner rather than later.
And protesting, well, apparently we cba to do that anymore. Can't miss work, can't stand the thought of riot gear.

So wat do.

Well, I've been thinking. (Oh Fuck, EVERYBODY, RUN!)

There's a tradition of rent striking in New York for dealing with shitbag landlords. The main trouble with it being, it puts you under grounds for eviction. If you're the only person doing it, well, when time is up the police are gonna throw you out on your ass.

But what if we go bigger than that. Like I said earlier, I'm sure a good portion of BG is in the same boat, and much of the population besides. What if everybody either stopped paying rent until the problem got solved (and it is an election year, good time to force it), or, only cut a check for thirty percent minus utilities each month. Basically saying "This is the new normal, deal with it." That gets done to us on the regular, may as well turn the fucking tables.

There is only so much legal and police manpower than can be spared to do evictions. If the number of strikers is in the millions, the courts and forces just do not have the capacity to handle it all at once.

And unlike raising wages, this can be done rfn, and as a bonus will immediately free up (what I think will be a surprising amount of) income that will suddenly become disposable. Thoughtful people can start wielding financial haymakers at non-mortgage debt, while others can just go out and buy shit.

The main issues I see are
1. Getting word out and people on board.
It's going to take a significant effort to get this idea out to everyone. For it to work it really does need a holy fuckton of people on board. Short of starting some trendy twitter hashtag and getting on reddit the news, idfk how to do it.
But go back and look at the articles. Nowhere are the prices in line with incomes, and the only places that come close are in Bumfuck, Arkansas. Damn near everybody is effected, I'd be shocked if the total participation didn't even amount to 1% of the population, and be really dismayed if it doesn't reach at least a third.

2. Assuage or solve the eviction issues.
Besides relying on sheer numbers, the only things I can think of is a side campaign to ask officers to look at their own housing numbers, see that they're in it too, and to not comply in enforcing evictions. As a bonus, it will be a point for improving police/public relations.
A stick would be to call on Occupy and such to blockade threatened residences (something they've done before), and video, name, and shame anyone that does try and carry out evictions. Hell, it can even tie into elections, judges and sheriffs will be on record as being on one side or another, and that can be used next time they're up for election.

And that's about as far as I've been able to get running this around my own skull. And ain't nothing going to happen at all if that's the only place this stays, so out it goes.

tl;dr
Start paying only a quarter of the rent you owe.

[Xno Kappa]

I haven't paid rent in like, 10 years, but I know my relatives back in New York pay a stupid fucking amount in comparison to their annual income.

[Callisto]

Our rent went up 12% last year, and they refused to negotiate with me but the timing of the re-sign offer put us in a spot where it'd be too difficult to find a new place and arrange a move. The location of the apartment is pretty optimal for the area we live in, but we pay more for a 2 bedroom apartment with mediocre everything than any of my friends do in mortgages for larger houses/townhouses(our rent is $1,550/month for a 2 bedroom apartment split between me and g/f, including water/garbage but no other utilities). As a percentage of my income it's not too terrible, but I was stumped as to how they thought an increase of over 10% would really be viable, as if people's incomes had magically shot up 3-5% over the previous year.

At least this year we're planning ahead and saving for a move to a new place if they try to raise it again.

[Pirian]

Maybe I was just lucky, but the only time I've stayed in an apartment long enough to renew a contract, I successfully negotiated a significantly lower price. I told them what I was willing to pay based upon where I could move and how much I would save by living there AFTER moving expenses, and THEIR cost for a person just moving in, and while they of course said "we can't negotiate prices" I got a notice from them a couple days later giving me the price I wanted. Funny part about the whole situation was I ended up having to break the lease a few months later anyways.

[Byrthnoth]

I have a mediocre 1 bedroom and underground parking with water and gas for about 950, which would be about 40% of my annual income if I was not living with my wife. Instead it is 20%. I am satisfied with the deal at the moment, although I could probably hunt around for a better deal, considering housing is pretty cheap in the 'burgh.

[Buffy]

This is why I don't pay more than 25% of my income in rent. Impossible to live really. I'm trying to pay off student loans and save for a down payment too? Good times.

[BaneTheBrawler]

i live in low-income housing. my rent is capped at 30% of my income, and i get a utilities credit (they take about 70 bucks off my rent). since my income is entirely government assistance, which is limited to 740ish/mo, my rent ends up being 109 (on a 400some market value appt). it goes up to 137 in june, though. possibly because i finally got through the county's red tape and have my EBT benefits.

[Callisto]

The real struggle is that I afford my half of the rent easily but if something goes sour with the g/f I can't afford to break up with her and pay the full rent XD

[AidenCarby]

i live in low-income housing. my rent is capped at 30% of my income, and i get a utilities credit (they take about 70 bucks off my rent). since my income is entirely government assistance, which is limited to 740ish/mo, my rent ends up being 109 (on a 400some market value appt). it goes up to 137 in june, though. possibly because i finally got through the county's red tape and have my EBT benefits.

All because you shit your pants from time to time? Nice

[Zetanio]

Can confirm that rent in New York is ridiculous.

[Cantih]

Not fun here in LA either.
75% of income for a two bedroom. And it is not a fancy area.

[tyven]

DC Is fucking horrid. It was cool when they priced out all the ghetto but it's starting to get out of hand. Currently pay 2k for a 1br with no dishwasher or in unit w/d lol.

[Charismatic]

Not fun here in LA either.
75% of income for a two bedroom. And it is not a fancy area.

You in LA? Why not do some pornos to supplement the income dawg?

[Aksannyi]

Paying 37.5% of my income on rent, one bedroom, and I live by myself. When my lease renews they're raising it $15/month which is not a lot but still stings a little - but then again, my options are to put up with it or to pay a thousand deposits everywhere and move again, which when you factor in $15/month over a year vs. the costs of moving, doesn't quite even out. I've always thought my rent was too high, and it would be cheaper month to month to buy a house, however, I may not stay here after graduation so I don't feel comfortable getting into a mortgage at this time.

[Pirian]

You in LA? Why not do some pornos to supplement the income dawg?

I had a friend move out to LA and it took him an entire year before he did a porno. Seems to be the thing to do

[Xno Kappa]

Jesus fucking Christ! Some you guys pay way too damn much in rent to not be owning your own home. Closing on a home within your price range isn't really that hard with a good real estate agent, not trolling, some of you should really look into it.

[BaneTheBrawler]

All because you shit your pants from time to time? Nice

i'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here in assuming you're joking, but since i know people who actually think that, it's just a little bit more complicated than just pooping myself, lol.


understatement/sarcasm on the "little"

[Kalmado]

Jesus fucking Christ! Some you guys pay way too damn much in rent to not be owning your own home. Closing on a home within your price range isn't really that hard with a good real estate agent, not trolling, some of you should really look into it.

While I'm not really stable in my job, wifey and I are pre-approved and more than likely will buy since our $675/m house we rent that's worth all of $35k could get us much more would and we'd be better off.

[Ksandra]

My biggest beef is the rent increases once moved in. I have yet to live in an apt where they don't raise the rent every year $50+ a month. And let's face it, most people aren't getting $50 a month raises every year, so it's just cutting more and more into their budget until they are forced to move.

[Aksannyi]

My biggest beef is the rent increases once moved in. I have yet to live in an apt where they don't raise the rent every year $50+ a month. And let's face it, most people aren't getting $50 a month raises every year, so it's just cutting more and more into their budget until they are forced to move.

This. I am lucky because my rent only went up $10 last year and is only going up $15 this year, but still that adds up.

My old complex raised my rent $40 a year. They rented the apartment on special to me at $150 under the "market value" (which is BS because obviously they could afford to rent it for less because - uh - they did) and then they tried to raise enough to get me back up to their ridiculous price - except I moved before that happened.

The thing is, they know how much moving sucks, what a pain in the ass it is and the fact that you have to change over all of your utilities and wait for the cable guy and rent a truck, pay all sorts of deposits which most people renting don't just have lying around, and they count on that. And while I'm super annoyed at the $15 increase/month, it's still better than packing up everything, changing out everything, and coming up with deposits - and all during finals, to boot. Fuck that.