San Francisco Rent Hike: Netizens Cry Foul on $7K Increase in Monthly Rental

Deb Follingstad, a tenant of Bernal Heights, was shocked when she found out that her rent was increased by almost 400 percent. She was dismayed and posted the legal notice that she got from her landlord on Facebook, hoping that she could find a new place to live in soon.

Since she posted it on social media, the letter already made its rounds on the Internet and has actually been shared over 6,000 times, according to SFGate. Apart from the ridiculous increase going into effect on May 5 this year, the landlord also gave her an appalling US$12,500 monthly security deposit charge.

However, since security deposits are not normally asked for on a monthly basis, the 46-year-old resident thinks that it may have only been a typographical error.

Many concerned citizens were disgusted with how her monthly rent of $2,145 suddenly ballooned to $8,900. They took to Twitter to express their dismay and even came up with the hashtag, #DebFollingstad.

“Disturbing to see #DebFollingstad’s landlord increasing her rent 400%. Asked CityAtty to explore legislative fix. Must protect rent control!” said one Twitter user.

“Just when you thought you’d heard it all about SF rental gouging, this may still shock you. It did me,” wrote another.

“Reason #1293909503494 why I will never move to San Francisco!” another social media user remarked on Twitter.

The public then started to ask if a landlord can actually do this, which Curbed confirmed to be a valid move. Meanwhile, Follingstad’s recent experience is not an isolated case in a city where property values oftentimes skyrocket, according to Priceonomics. As a result of this move, long-time renters are forced out of their homes.

Moreover, Bold Italic reported that what happened to Follingstad is an “increasingly commonplace” abuse of San Francisco’s real estate policies. The fact that she has lived there for 10 years did not seem to matter to the landlord at all.

“It’s so outrageous,” she said. “I never imagined anything like this could be legal.” She will be meeting with lawyers soon to find out what her next move could be regarding her predicament.

The residence being talked about is actually a pretty basic piece of property. It only has two bedrooms. It was reported by Rent Jungle that the average rent for a two-bedroom unit in San Francisco is at $4,040, which is less than half of the amount Follingstad is presently charged with.