Woman shares unbelievable scenes from her apartment after landlord raises her rent to $4000 a month

The housing market in the US is going through a major crisis. It has become almost impossible to buy a house and it has also led to exorbitant rents for tenants. TikTok influencer Megan Bowen (@meganbowen__) shared a video highlighting the realities of the housing market, where many landlords are just trying to rip off tenants. She used to live in a 3-BHK apartment but had to move out after the landlord dramatically raised the rent to $4000 without making any improvements. She had to deal with a flooded basement, garbage bags in the front yard and leakage on the roof. So, when on top of this, she was asked to pay more, it prompted her to move out.

In the video, we get to see Bowen holding detergent in her hand and asking the person holding the camera to follow her into the basement. She shares how she had come down to get some laundry done, only to find out that the entire floor was covered in water. This was after the landlord increased the rent to $4000. The woman jumps so viewers can hear a splash. She tries to approach the situation and laughs it off.

However, as the video concludes, she can be heard asking, "Should we renew the lease?" People on the platform shared their insights in the comments section. @maygen.moff sarcastically commented, "$4000 a month and it comes with an indoor pool. You scored!" @yoalid.b said, "I'll just stick to living in a small town and paying $900 for my new building on two acres." @alliebellthetacobelle shared, "$4000 is more than I make in a month." In other clips, Bowen shares the rooftop view, luxury bedroom and front yard she gets to enjoy for $4000. 

The woman eventually moved out of the overpriced apartment and posted a follow-up video where she found out about the current status of her former apartment. She begins the video by saying, "You know how my landlord raised my rent to $4000? So we got priced out and had to move." The woman states that she searched around because the price seemed absurdly high to her. She says, "I know no one's going to pay that much."

Being curious, she looked up the apartment on the internet to see if anybody actually moved in after she left. The video cuts to reveal that the apartment was still up for rent and shockingly had a price cut of $600. She then shares how the landlord had refused to negotiate with her about the price. So, they ultimately ended up having nobody to rent to and also had to reduce the rent.

The woman moved into a "sub-lease" in a few days. Many people expressed their views in the comments section. @blondeandboujii shared, "This happened to my brother and sister-in-law, everyone on their floor moved out. Within four months, it was back at the price they were originally paying." @ayeeeelexis11 commented, "The same exact thing happened with my old place! We were paying $2800 and when we didn't resign, they relisted $3900. Now, it's down to $2900 and still empty."

Many other individuals seemed to face similar situations with their landlords. @ashleyinla said, "The same exact thing happened to me in LA a couple of months ago. It's infuriating but also satisfying." @knot_micheala commented, "We tried to negotiate a 15-month lease for $200 off and our landlord refused. So we were like, we'll do one year here and then move."

You can follow Megan Bowen (@meganbowen__) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on November 20, 2023. It has since been updated.