Apartment hunting, rent calculating, physically moving.

The renting life can quickly begin to feel like an unholy quagmire meant to keep you renting.

Sometimes though you get a peek behind the curtain of Oz to have a better understanding of what’s really going on.

One TikTok user named Melinda used to work as a property manager and sheds some great light on the subject.

She introduces herself and then sets up the focus of the story: utilities.

If a property manager includes utilities in the rent, it isn’t always just out of the kindness of their hearts.

“They’re not doing that just to be nice and make it convenient for you”, she explains.

And internet cost is usually a big culprit in this whole game.

She explains they’re “just pocketing the rest of your money.”

She does point out an interesting metaphor about apartment complexes:

It’s not necessarily about which tenant lives in their building, it’s about each door.

They really see them as units, much like a hotel. And it’s all about that almighty dollar at every turn.

Watch her full explanation here:

@melindalumpkin

The shady side of multifamily is that to some investors you are just a “door” not a person. Even pinching a small $4 dollars from per door for a misc monthly fee can add a free 16K to their annual income. #rentfees #2024planning

♬ original sound – Melinda Lumpkin765

Let’s see what folks had to say:

One commenter immediately recognized the similarities in her own situation.

While a fellow property manager chimed in about specifics.

Another person thought this was going to be a watershed moment in her renting capabilities. But it’s sadly not the case.

Can she talk about my neighbor’s barking dog next, please?

If you liked that story, check out this one about a couple who forgot to turn off their ice machine and returned home after 4 months to find their freezer had turn into a frozen cavern.