Yesterday my roommate announced that my rent is going up by 50%. From an amount slightly below market to an amount way above market, for crap shared accomodation. First, I'm mad because he's taking advantage of the fact that he thinks I make tons of cash to try and make ends meet because he hasn't managed his money effectively enough. Um, surprise, mortgages are expensive. Second, even though he's mistaken and actually I do get to live where I am for several months without the increase, I'm furious he's unethical enough to tell me less than four weeks before rent would be due again.

As a renter, I hate that people think that because they had the cash to come up with some kind of down payment and secure a loan it means they get to do nothing while I pay for their property. That I pay rent comes with a crapload of rights for me, and a bunch of responsibilities for you. Don't like it? Pay your own mortgage. There's no free ride.

Part of me wants to destroy him and make him feel like a pathetic human being for inconveniencing me, especially when I'm on a fairly high stress heavy networking month at work. And for screwing me out of the chance to find a place on lease because I'm only planning on being in the city for eight more months at this point. Another part wants to make him have to live with me to ride out the low rent period... which actually hasn't started because he hasn't given written notice because, like most bad landlords, he doesn't seem to think there would be rules applying to housing. Even if he gave me notice today, I could live there for four more months at what I pay now and there's nothing he could do.

Part of me just wants to leave so I don't have to live with someone who I now think is kind of a bad person. And the calmer part that believes anyone who has ever done something bad to me has had karmic dues is like "whatever, your life is pretty good, his life obviously isn't, go with it."

And educated part of me has just decided to fly low, make some phone calls, and make him pay every way that I can. I didn't learn to navigate the system for nothing.