A TikToker has gone viral after revealing that she learned in an email the rent for her apartment would be increasing from $2,200 to $4,678, and that the news was accompanied by a “Congratulations!” message.
Katelyn Nassar, who goes by the username @katelynfletcher on TikTok, shared the video last week where it has since gained more than 70,000 views. In the clip, the 25-year-old content creator, who lives in Austin, Texas, posted screenshots from the email correspondence, pointing out the difference in rent prices.
According to the video, her current rent price is $2,200. If she chooses to renew her lease, her monthly rent will increase to $4,678. What seemed even more shocking to Nassar was that her landlord was “congratulating” her on the $2,478 price hike.
“They really said GTFO [get the f**k out],” Nassar captioned the TikTok. In the background of the video, a voice-over asks: “Are you okay?” followed by, “No, no.”
According to KVUE, an Austin-based news station, the Texas capitol saw a 35 per cent increase in average rent prices between January 2021 and January 2022. Unlike major cities such as Los Angeles or New York City, there is no “rent control” in Austin because the state of Texas does not have any laws that limit the amount of rent increases a landlord can implement.
While many people were stunned at the difference in rent prices, what commenters found even more appalling was the landlord’s “audacity to write congratulations’” in the email to Nassar.
“The audacity to write ‘congratulations’ in the email,” someone commented. Nassar replied: “HAHAHAHA I FELT THAT TO MY CORE”.
“Where are all these people getting the money is what I wanna know?!!” asked someone else.
One person wondered if there was a typo in the email that was sent, but Nassar confirmed that she even asked her landlord whether the $2,500 rent increase was a mistake, to no avail.
Others shared their own experience with rising rent prices, with some revealing they’d even moved out of the unaffordable cities.
“Dude I live in the Austin area and it’s impossible to live here anymore,” one person wrote. “Rents $2-3k and they want three times that in income so I need to bring 6k+/month.”
“I feel this to my core,” someone else said. “I got a letter from them raising my rent almost $400. Now I’m moving out of state lol bye!!!!!”
“When it came time for my increase my apt manager called me crying,” someone claimed. “She couldn’t afford Austin anymore either.”
The Independent has reached out to Katelyn Nassar for comment.
