A landlord is facing backlash on TikTok, after recording himself raising a tenant’s rent from $1,100 to $2,200 a month.
TikToker Raul Bolufe (therealraulbolufe) posted a video of himself, telling a tenant of over ten years that he will be doubling her rent.
In the now-viral clip, he called her to introduce himself as the new property owner, and asked if she wanted to continue renting the house.
“You’re currently rented for $1,100. That house is in Miami. It’s a pretty low price in today’s market,” he explained. Raul then told the woman that he’d have to raise the rent if she were to stay.
Landlord doubles tenant’s rent
“I would want you to stay, but we have to raise it a little bit. We could take the lower end of $2,000 to $2,200,” he said.
“Are you kidding me? That has to be a joke! I can’t afford that sh*t. I have kids and I’m already working two jobs as it is,” the tenant responded.
In a follow-up video, the furious tenant threatened to call the cops and burn the house down “so nobody gets anything.”
“If you don’t want to stay for that price, I’m going to have to put in a 30-day notice,” the landlord said. “You could leave peacefully on time, but I definitely can’t make it work at that current rent amount.”
The tenant insisted she would not pay the higher rent, and called Raul a “con artist” before hanging up.
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In the comments, TikTok users slammed the landlord for doubling the rent.
“Ridiculous … and he does it with a smile. This is why no one can afford to live anywhere… it’s sad,” one user wrote.
“Dude really filmed himself like this was gonna be received well,” another commented.
“Sorry, landlord is wrong here. No way to increase rent by 100% on a current tenet,” a third said.
“Has her lease expired? Sufficient notice has to be given. He’s just hoping she doesn’t talk to an attorney,” someone else shared.
As of now, it’s unclear whether the conversation between Raul and the tenant was real or a skit.
This is not the first time a landlord has sparked outrage on TikTok; previously, an NYC landlord was criticized for raising a woman’s rat-infested apartment rent by $800.
