patrick.net

But the latest monthly rent increase will take her to roughly $500 more than she paid when she moved in, and the L.A. city dispatcher said she can’t handle that despite a decent annual salary of about $78,000.

“We just don’t have the money to pay it,” said Barbee, who’s not sure where the family will find something affordable. Her husband, a plumber, has had two strokes and her mother, whose Social Security check helped pay the bills, just died.

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Barbee said that even at $2,330, that’s nearly a 10% increase and it probably won’t be the last one. On Friday, after my conversations with Blackstone, Barbee said the landlord offered her an extra six months at her current rate.

She may stay a while longer, but still intends to leave. At least temporarily, she said, her daughter and husband will move in with relatives and she will either rent a room from a co-worker or sleep on a friend’s couch while saving money for her next real estate adventure.

“If this keeps happening,” Barbee said, “we’re all going to end up on the street.”

Strategist says:
If Barbee makes $78,000 a year, her husband is a plumber, and I'm sure her daughter can contribute something, why can't they afford $2,330 in rent?
They are doing something stupid, that's for sure.