My name is Brandon, I’m 29, and I’ve been living in Los Angeles, California for about four years now. I moved here right after college because I landed a job in digital marketing, and like a lot of people, I thought LA was going to be exciting and full of opportunity.
At first, it was.
But lately? I’m honestly exhausted with the cost of living here.
I rent a small one-bedroom apartment in a 1970s building in Koreatown. It’s not fancy at all — old carpets, thin walls, and appliances that look like they’ve survived several decades.
Still, the location is convenient for work, so I stuck with it.
My rent was already $2,050 a month, which is painful but sadly pretty normal in LA. I’ve always paid on time and never caused any issues with the landlord.
About three months ago, I noticed a small water stain forming on the ceiling in my living room. At first it didn’t seem like a big deal, but after the next rainstorm the stain grew and started dripping.
Actual water.
I emailed the landlord immediately and sent photos. He replied with the classic “We’ll have someone take a look soon.”
No one ever came.
A week later it rained again and the leak got worse. I had to put a bucket under it because water was literally dripping onto the floor. I emailed again, called the property manager, and even left a voicemail.
Still nothing.
Eventually a maintenance guy showed up two weeks later. He looked at the ceiling for about five minutes and said the roof probably needed repairs, but he’d have to report it to the landlord.
That was two months ago.
Since then, nothing has been fixed.
Every time it rains, my living room turns into a bucket-catching operation. The ceiling stain has spread and now the paint is starting to peel.
Then yesterday I opened an email from my landlord titled “Rent Adjustment Notice.”
Guess how much my rent is increasing.
$400.
Starting next month.
The email said the increase reflects “current market rates in the Los Angeles area.”
I just stared at my phone for a solid minute.
So apparently the “market rate” includes paying $2,450 a month for an apartment with a leaking roof that hasn’t been repaired for three months.
I emailed him back explaining the situation again, including pictures of the bucket and the ceiling damage. I asked how rent could be increased when the apartment clearly has unresolved maintenance issues.
His response was basically two sentences.
He said the rent increase is unrelated to maintenance and that repairs are “still being scheduled.”
That was it.
No timeline. No apology. Nothing.
At this point I feel completely defeated. Between rent, gas, groceries, and everything else in LA, it already feels impossible to get ahead financially.
And now I’m expected to pay hundreds more while living under a leaking ceiling.
I’ve started seriously looking at apartments outside the city or maybe even moving out of California entirely.
Because if this is what “market rate” living looks like here… I honestly don’t know how anyone keeps doing it.