Okay, so I went to check out an apartment this morning.
I arrived right at 10am.
I waited a good 30 minutes before anyone saw me.
Great start.
Once I was served it went mostly smoothly except for one thing. The paper she handed me said that I need revenue 2.7 times the rent. (That's how it works in these here parts.) However, the text they send me yesterday said 2.22 times the rent. And when I called in Nov or Oct of last year, the person on the phone said 2.5 times the rent.
Now today, I get 2.7 times the rent. This seems to be set in stone, but man... why the contradictory answers?
The Department of Justice and Texas software-maker RealPage announced this week that they have reached a settlement in a case involving price-fixing allegations in some of the nation’s largest rental markets.
A 2022 ProPublica investigation showed RealPage was helping landlords decide rents in a way that legal experts said could result in cartel-like behavior.
On one level one might expect Councils that are already in crisis to be failing in the responsibilities around the regulation of the rental market....
but it also suggests that further regulation of renting may not be the panacea that many hope: a further set of unevenly enforced laws about landlords' practice(s) is all very well but what is really need is proper enforcement of rogue landlords in the first place!
America’s Largest Landlord to Stop Using RealPage Rent-Setting Software, Makes Deal With DOJ
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Greystar, which manages nearly 950,000 apartments, has agreed to stop using “anti-competitive” algorithms to suggest rents. ProPublica previously showed how such software lets landlords set rents in a way that could result in cartel-like behavior.
garnet perched on my bed at night, gently lit by a highly diffused white plastic Ikea lamp off camera to the left. her big green baby eyes basically just look like gigantic black saucers because she thinks the camera person (me) is holding treats. she is just as fluffy as before.
Research shows it costs taxpayers $31,065 a year to criminalize a single person experiencing homelessness while the yearly cost for providing supportive housing is $10,051.
DECEMBER MUTUAL AID, URGENT BILLS, MEDS AND FOOD ($0 / $500 total) - STRICT LANDLORD / FACING EVICTION
We're all disabled & mentally ill, with only 1/5 able to work for minimum pay every two weeks. We don't have a car or insurance, and have been paying for all our mental health meds out of pocket.
We're hoping to have this resolved early next year, but until then, it's month to month. I'm trying to get these expense covered for December.
Thank you so much, hope you're doing well. I'll update in the replies.
DECEMBER MUTUAL AID, URGENT BILLS, MEDS AND FOOD ($500 total) - STRICT LANDLORD / FACING EVICTION
We're all disabled & mentally ill, with only 1/5 able to work for minimum pay every two weeks. We don't have a car or insurance, and have been paying for all our mental health meds out of pocket.
We're hoping to have this resolved early next year, but until then, it's month to month. I'm trying to get these expense covered for December.
Thank you so much, hope you're doing well. I'll update in the replies.