San Francisco - Just had my rent raised $500 a month.

[AtomicKitten]

Last edited Wed Apr 29, 2015, 03:38 PM - Edit history (1)

Aaarrggghhhh!

I've lived here 10 years. I rent a 2 BDR house with large fenced-in backyard. I have paid the same rent per month for 10 years, keeping a low profile, paying for an occasional plumber myself, watching the rest of the city's exploding rent increases, and just holding my breath.

Even though $500 more a month takes my breath away, truth is my landlord could get a lot more for this place. There is no rent control on single-unit dwellings.

It's nose to the grindstone for me now; I'm paid on productivity (medical transcription). I hope I can hold the line because I really, really, really hate moving.

[F4lconF16]

1. Jesus--good luck.

I'm scared they're gonna do that to me in Seattle. If they do, I won't be going back to school for a long while, if ever...

[AtomicKitten]

3. thanks

Sorry this exploding rent thing reaches as far as Seattle. I had no idea. SF has been sniveling about the Google folks inundating the city and being shuttled between here and Mountain View; locals feel they are being out-bid for housing.

[freshwest]

21. We are getting it here. For a no bedroom apartment, no bills paid, mine went up $100+ this year.

Next year it will go up the same if not more. Yes, we are being priced out of housing. I won't go into my economic situation. Just say I'm uncertain where I will be one or two years.

Nothing is cheaper than what I have now. It is all going up to the market rate, which as you said, is higher than we've been paying. And the average wage her is three times more than what I have coming in.

I hope you get enough business to maintain your little place. I hate not having a house or yard anymore. It grieves me, I am real garden lover. But I am now, and will be, priced out.

Enjoy that 'piece of earth' while you still can. Good luck.

[AtomicKitten]

23. thank you

I'm sort of living by the seat of my pants now. I considered early retirement later this year but don't think I can afford it now. Very uncertain times. I hope things improve for you too. Take care.

[yeoman6987]

2. So sorry. Paying the same rent for 10 years is very rare

Look at it this way. It's basically 50 dollars a month each year your rent didn't go up. Not that horrible if you think about it.

[AtomicKitten]

5. Interestingly if this place was rent-controlled,

there is a provision for the landlord to raise rents around 2% a year and they are able to "bank" those increases if they don't actually raise the rent. So, a $50 a month increase over 10 years is .... $500.

[PoliticAverse]

51. It's also about the same amount as your original rent adjusted for inflation.

$2200 in 2005 is equivalent to $2644 in 2015 ($444 more). See: http://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm.

[merrily]

26. You overlook that we had the equivalent of the Great Depression during the last 10 years.

The landlord was extremely lucky to get the same rent in 2008 to 2012 and perhaps beyond as he, she or it got in 2005.

[gwheezie]

4. this is what some folks don't understand

I live in rural Virginia. People here can't comprehend that kind of rent. Its not great to be low wage here but you can rent a single wide on an acre or 2 for about 400-500 a month.

[AtomicKitten]

6. renting in SF isn't for the faint of heart

My son works for the production company of Beach Blanket Babylon here and living in the city is definitely an advantage for him.

[pipoman]

9. Exactly why I think a uniform minimum wage is a crock-o-shit

While a $10 minimum wage may be a living wage where you live, it is poverty on San Francisco. Why should employers in San Francisco be allowed to pay less than employers in more economically depressed areas?

[gwheezie]

13. agree completely

I live in a fairly low wage area but there are advantages as well as disadvantages here. You can get by on 10 bucks an hour here however we have no jobs or transport if you don't have a car. Early in the morning I see people walking miles down the road to get to work. But there is an off the books local economy. There is seasonal agriculture work. You can start a small business here doing landscaping or junk removal or tree work. We hire neighbors. We can grow food have some chickens. There's a barter economy. You can make 50 bucks unloading and stacking hay. Or pounding fence posts.
So we don't have a Walmart or mickey D's to walk to but if you ask around at the gas station you can find someone who needs brush cleared or something. If I hire someone to do my yard work I go pick them up and feed them lunch and bring them home.

[pipoman]

17. I actually believe the push for higher minimum wage is

Pushed by more economically stable areas to keep depressed areas poor...reduce the gap between pay rates in boom towns and less booming areas have a harder time attracting industry...

If a minimum wage based on economic factors rather than a blanket watch them oppose minimum wage..I think there needs to be minimum wage, just scaled for cost of living...

[AtomicKitten]

24. It's $11.05 here in SF, going up to $12.25 in May.

July 1st 2016 it will go up to $13, and on 7/1/17 it goes to $14, and on 7/1/18 it will go to $15.

Per Prop J passed Nov 2014.

[Cleita]

7. Something a lawyer told me years ago. This was in 1990, probably not helpful to you.

It wasn't even a matter with me of raised rent. I agreed to pay it, with a lease. The landlord refused. Possession is 9/10ths of the law, the lawyer told me. He meant that as long as you sit there you have a certain amount of squatter's rights. It depends on how much crap you are willing to put up with. I did withstand the shutting off of utilities and stuff but they did change the locks on me and then they were able to get me on breaking and entering when I was able to bust through those.

The law does not help little people, but sometimes giving them a hard time has a satisfaction of its own. If you can get others to be pissed off with you, you can have an Occupy movement, perhaps.

[AtomicKitten]

10. I have had landlords from hell before, but I've been pretty lucky with mine now.

He actually felt bad about raising the rent, but truthfully I've been expecting it for quite some time now. My son's job in the city is enhanced by living here, so we are embedded at least for the time being.

I read about a woman who had her rent increased in SF from $2100 to $8900. I just think of that when I start to hyperventilate about my own rent increase.

[pipoman]

16. If the house would sell to another investor I bet rent

Would be at least $6k based on the stated value..

[AtomicKitten]

19. Yep. It could be a lot, lot worse for me. That is a consolation. /nt

[pipoman]

8. Any chance of the landlord selling it to you on a contract?

If you've been a good renter for 10 years maybe he'd consider it...otoh, if the market value amortized over 20 years is dramatically more than your new rent amount, it may cause the rent to go up even more. .

[AtomicKitten]

11. He and his siblings own a lot of property in SF.

He's probably more interested in accumulating property than selling. Property taxes must be brutal though. He paid $295,000 for the place in 1998 and it's worth about $750,000 now. I just looked it up: He paid $4,902 in property taxes last year just for this place alone.

He could also ask for an increase in the deposit, but hasn't and I hope he doesn't. He's actually a pretty cool guy. He LIKED that we have a pit bull; he has one too.

[pipoman]

14. $750,000 would be a 20 yr payment of around $5k before taxes and insurance

You're right, you are paying bargain rent.

[babylonsister]

12. I love you, am jealous of where you live,

I love SF! I hope you can make it work.

[AtomicKitten]

15. Thanks. My job makes it doable.

I can do as much work as I want, so that flexibility makes it possible.

I love it here too. It really is breathtaking. There is also so much to do, so much to see.

[still_one]

18. That is the problem, a lot of places are not subject to rent control in the city. Buying a house

in the city also has gone through the roof, actually in the whole Bay Area, including down to San Jose

[AtomicKitten]

20. There are virtually no protections for single-unit dwellings.

It's brutal, but I know other people have it a lot worse.

[still_one]

22. Also, any rental built after 1979 is not subject to rent control either. You are right it is

brutal, and to add insult to injury some rentals charge you extra for parking your car

[Binkie The Clown]

25. Holy Crap!

I'm really out of touch with reality I guess. Last time I rented a house it was around $350/month. Then I bought a manufactured home, had it set up on a paid-for lot in a "retirement community", and paid it off in seven years. I haven't had to make a house payment in a very long time. When I hear about home prices these days it's just more than I can even wrap my mind around. How do people even survive with those prices? It's mind boggling. My heart goes out to you. Best of luck!

[mrmpa]

28. If you can find the time.........

read the book "Deer Hunting With Jesus". The author looks at the working poor in the Winchester Virginia area, where he grew up. Based on his writings and interviews he projected the mortgage busts in 2008. He speaks to the issue of those working poor being sold a load of manure when it came to what they could and could not afford for housing.

[haikugal]

29. I second that suggestion...

Very good read.

[Binkie The Clown]

35. Thanks to both of you. I will read it. n/t

[AtomicKitten]

37. You've got the right idea.

No housing payment is unimaginable for me; congrats on accomplishing that. I envy you.

[Hekate]

27. Da-yum! I am sorry to hear that. It's brutal out there...

We've got less than half a percent vacancy rate here, so rent is whatever the landlord asks. You've got a nice little house and yard, and -- just damn.

Best of luck to you.

[AtomicKitten]

38. thanks

The yard really does make the difference. The yard backs up to a eucalyptus grove which I love when it's windy and raining.

[JustAnotherGen]

30. I'm sorry AK

I rented in Central NJ for 7 years - so I truly understand.

[AtomicKitten]

39. thank you

Some would say it's my own damn fault for living in SF, but we moved here so my son could attend college and live at home (one of the perks of working at home is your job is portable) to save money. Now he's taken a great job in the city. I don't know how much longer I'll be here so I plan to just cherish each day. The world doesn't get much more beautiful than SF.

[JustAnotherGen]

45. Some would have said the same to me

10 years ago . . . but there weren't any good jobs in the Great Lakes. Just not a lot of opportunities. I totally get it. My mom was born in Denver, moved to La Jolla when she was about 5 (grand father started a home/business building business) then spent her high school years in Tahoe. I've spent a lot of time with family on the West Coast - and I 'get' it.

There's something about the light in California at 4pm on a sunny afternoon. . .

[AtomicKitten]

50. I love the weather here. It is weirdly and in my view wonderfully unpredictable.

I usually have my bedroom window open at night and the heat on for a bit in the late morning. I swear it's colder during the day than it is at night. There is a eucalyptus grove behind the property that makes the coolest sounds when it is windy and rainy. I listen to birds sing while I'm working upstairs looking down on a lovely view of gardens and trees and grass with hummingbirds darting around. Yes, I do love it here.

[Auggie]

31. The sad fact is that if you don't own property in S.F. you're screwed ...

with some exceptions, i.e., rent control. I've heard this from businesses too.

That being said, the last rent we paid in S.F. was in 2001 for a two-bedroom flat near Mission Dolores for $1950 a month. So yes, I'd say you've been very lucky. Hope you can hang in there. And good luck.

[AtomicKitten]

40. Your rent in 2001 certainly gives me perspective.

Although the $500 increase (which starts July 1st by the way, he gave us 3 months notice) was like a punch in the face, with all things concerned I consider myself still pretty lucky. It could be a whole lot worse. Thanks for the encouraging words.

[Lucky Luciano]

32. 10 years of the same rent was a good run.

$2,200 for 2 bedrooms also seems practically free in SF.

$2,700 is probably very cheap too.

[AtomicKitten]

41. all in all, it still is a steal

a really expensive steal ... LOL

[bayareaboy]

33. Take a Ride to the East Bay via bart...

Check out north of Berkeley, Oakland, Alameda, Hell even San Leandro.

I had the same thing happen to a lessor extant in the 1970s.

San Francisco is just a short trip away

[AtomicKitten]

42. I've read that Oakland is touted as THE up and coming community.

I have never been north of The Bridge. I definitely will check it out.

[JayhawkSD]

34. That's a 23% increase...

...which seems usurious, but after ten years with no increase, maybe not.

However, you say that "truth is my landlord could get a lot more for this place," and that reflects a marketing philosophy that is common in this nation but which disturbs me. The price of something should be based on what it costs plus a fair return, not based on "how much you can get" for it. Did your landlord's martgage payments increase? His property taxes almost certainly did but, you being in California, they didn't increase by very much without a change in ownership.

Most times that gasoline prices went up in past years the media would blame it on reduced supply, but reduced supply only means that oil companies can raise prices, it doen't mean that they need to do so. The only thing that actually justifies a increase in the price of gas is an increase in the cost of producing it. A reduction in supply only means that competition for it has increased and people are willing to pay more, so companies charge more because they can. And yet we raise no protest because we call that "the law of supply and demand." It's not a law of anything, it's just greed.

I appreciate your acceptance of fate, and certainly life is much easier if one is not constantly swimming upstream. But at the same time, rents have escalated in California, and all sorts of reasons are advanced for it, but the basic reason is that they have increased because landlords can increase the rent due to the housing shortage and so they are doing it. They call it "the law of supply and demand" or "just good business," I call it greed.

[AtomicKitten]

43. Oh there are definitely greedy bastard landlords here that prey on the unaware.

And, you're right, acceptance of it is really sticking one's head in the sand. Landlords will charge anywhere from 200 to 500 dollars just for use of parking facilities on top of exorbitant rent. Parking in this city is a nightmare, so people acquiesce and pay it. This house is built on top of the garage with inside access to the house. One of the selling points for me. Plus the yard which is truly a luxury in this city.

[PasadenaTrudy]

36. And your idiot mayor

thinks $2,700 for a studio apt. is affordable. Just read an article somewhere online...SFist maybe

Edit to add:http://sfist.com/2015/04/08/mayors_office_thinks_2700_studio_is.php

[AtomicKitten]

44. Our mayor is kind of a knucklehead.

It's not anywhere in the ballpark of affordable if you're getting minimum wage in the city (which by the way is one of the highest in the nation.) My son knows people at his work who live with five other roommates in a 2 BDR condo, and even splitting the rent they are barely getting by.

[mike_c]

46. 15 years for me....

Same deal, keeping as low a profile as I can. We have a really fine deal-- we rent a house on the north coast that we love living in, in a great, rural, working class neighborhood that's safe and quiet, for half the going rent for similar houses on our street. Less than half, really. I NEVER call my landlord to fix anything, LOL. I've replaced floors, am currently replacing appliances, and we've paid for electricians and plumbers. Even with the great rent we won't be able to stay when we retire, so we're just holding our breaths, hoping to stay under the radar for another few years.

Best of luck to you!

[AtomicKitten]

48. sounds like you get the laying low thing

I consider myself pretty lucky to have gone 10 years without a rent increase no matter where I live. In this city, it makes even more rare. Unicorn rare.

[daredtowork]

47. Watch The Vanishing City

The Berkeley Neighborhood Assn. just sponsored a showing of the documentary The Vanishing City. It's about how New York eviscerated affordable and middle class housing - and destroyed its community cultures - through over-emphasis on big development and luxury condos. The process described is terrifyingly similar to what us happening in Berkeley now and it's probably a done deal in SF.

This is a MUST WATCH for everyone who has felt they have been living with a sword of Damocles hanging over their head for the past few years, waiting for the minute their landlord decides to cash in and knowing there is no affordable housing to flee to.

Awareness is spreading. The people will organize around this issue and rise.

[AtomicKitten]

49. I'll look for it. Thanks. /nt