Rent Hike I’m Taking My Company And Leaving

As the business owner, I had just announced a 0-0,000 monthly raise for our entire staff at the morning meeting.

Before the cheers of my employees could even fade, a post on social media from the landlord of the surrounding rental properties shattered the mood:

Effective this month, rent is going up by 0-0,200. New flat rate: $2,200 a month.

I immediately dialed the landlord, Tabitha.

"Tabitha, what is this? When you practically begged me to set up my office here, we shook hands on a fixed rate of 0-0,000 a month for my staff, with a promise of no hikes."

"We give them a raise, and you instantly raise the rent? Your hike is $200 more than the raise I just gave them. What is the meaning of this?"

Tabitha sneered through the phone. "Marcus, honey, times change. This district is booming now. Your company isn't the only game in town anymore. If your people don't want to pay, there is a line of eager tenants waiting. Too expensive? Pack up and leave."

I looked out the window at the bustling business park. Dozens of supplier and partner companies had set up shop here just to be close to us.

I hung up the phone and typed a message directly into our corporate announcement channel:

"Pack your bags. Next Monday, the entire company is moving to our new headquarters."

Let's see if your precious properties are still in high demand when my company is gone.

Right after I hung up, Tabitha posted an update on her feed.

I was trying to be nice to my loyal tenants by not raising it too much. But since some people don't know how to be grateful, rent is going up another $300. Flat rate of $2,500 a month starting now.

Suppressing my anger, I opened the main company group chat. It was already in chaos.

"Marcus, is this raise for us or for the landlord?"

"How does she expect us to live? We get a 0-0,000 raise, and she instantly demands an extra 0-0,500!"

"At this rate, we're just working for her. We won't even have money left for groceries."

Another text popped up from an employee. "She's not even waiting until next month. She's demanding we pay the 0-0,500 difference right now. I asked her for a two-day extension, and she cut off my electricity."

My heart sank.

The next morning, I pushed open the office doors. The lobby lights were off, and the scent of instant ramen hung heavy in the air. I frowned, walking deeper into the workspace.

A few figures were curled up under their desks, surrounded by a messy pile of suitcases.

I had always banned pointless overtime. Why were people sleeping in the office?

"What is going on here?" I knocked on a glass partition.

Daisy, who was sleeping closest to the door, bolted upright in panic. "Marcus! I'm sorry, we'll pack up right away."

I looked at her bloodshot eyes and the exhausted faces of the other employees waking up around her.

"Why are you sleeping here, Daisy?"

She looked down, her eyes welling with tears. "We haven't received this month's paycheck yet, so none of us had the 0-0,500 to pay the rent difference. Tabitha came by with a couple of guys in the middle of the night and threw us out."

Another young woman wiped her tears. "The moment we got off work yesterday, all our things were dumped in the hallway. They even threw our blankets on the floor and stomped all over them."

"What about your security deposits?" I asked, struggling to keep my voice steady.

"She kept them," Daisy spat, clenching her fists. "She said we breached the lease by leaving early, so she's keeping the deposits as a penalty."

I let out a cold laugh.

Breached the lease? She was the one price-gouging, yet somehow my employees were the ones at fault.

Looking at the clutter on the floor, a heavy stone settled in my chest. I had chosen this location specifically because the rent was affordable, wanting to ease the financial burden on the team who worked so hard for me. Who could have known Tabitha, once so pleasant and cooperative, could turn this greedy?

"Go wash up and get yourselves sorted," I said, pointing toward the restrooms.

"Marcus... are we causing trouble for the company?" Daisy asked, anxiously tugging at her shirt.

"No," I said, looking them in the eye. "Don't worry. As long as I'm here, the company has your back." I patted Daisy's shoulder. "Meet me in the lobby in ten minutes. We're going to get some answers."

"Tabitha, kicking people out and keeping their deposits? Don't you think you've gone too far?"

I marched into the property management office, several employees behind me.

Tabitha was lounging on a leather sofa. "Well, well. Marcus is here to start a riot bright and early? I'm just following the contract. They couldn't pay, so I took my property back."

I slammed a stack of printed lease agreements onto her desk. "It says right here, in black and white, a fixed rent. What right do you have to unilaterally raise it?"

Tabitha sneered, sitting up. "Are you blind, Marcus? Didn't you see the fine print? 'The landlord reserves the right of final interpretation.' Besides, this is the market rate now."

She stood up and walked over to Daisy. "If you're broke, don't rent. Go sleep on the streets. It's free."

Daisy shook with anger, her fists trembling. I pulled her behind me and stared coldly at Tabitha.

Her smirk vanished, replaced by a vicious glare. She leaned in close.

"If you want the apartments back, fine. Get down on your knees, give me three good apologies, and beg. If I'm in a good mood, maybe I'll give your losers a ten percent discount."

I laughed from sheer anger. I grabbed Daisy's arm and turned around.

"Not a chance. There are plenty of places to live. I don't believe we can't find a single decent landlord in this city. Daisy, get everyone. The company will cover a hotel for a week while we look for a permanent solution."

Just as I turned to walk out, my foot caught on something. One of the security guards standing next to Tabitha had slipped his leg out.

Caught off guard, I tripped and fell forward, my knees slamming heavily onto the hard tile floor.

A sharp, white-hot pain shot up my legs.

"Marcus!" Daisy gasped, rushing to help me up.

Tabitha looked down at me, laughing mockingly.

"Oh, Marcus, you didn't have to get on your knees so fast! But I'm afraid you're too late anyway." Her voice dripped with spite. "Those apartments? Rented them out this morning to employees from the other tech firms in the park. Three thousand a month. People are practically begging for them."

I forced myself up, ignoring the throbbing pain in my knees, and glared at her. "Three thousand? Do you think everyone is an idiot?"

Just then, a few people walked out of the back office. The woman leading them gave us a disdainful look.

"So what if we rented them? If you can't afford it, step aside. Plenty of people can. Tabitha's places are right next to our office. Our team jumped at the chance."

Daisy's eyes widened. "Marcus, that's her cousin!"

I immediately saw through Tabitha's little game. She had hired her own family to play the role of eager tenants, creating a false illusion of high demand to scare the remaining renters into signing expensive renewals.

Tabitha wasn't even embarrassed to be caught. She just smirked and waved her hand.

"Get these bums out of here. They're ruining the view."

The security guards shoved us out the door.

Daisy was crying tears of frustration, wanting to go back and fight. I held her back, dusting off my pants.

"Don't bother. You can't reason with people like that."

By the time we got back to the office, my knee had swollen into a dark, angry purple bruise.

No sooner had I sat down than my desk phone began ringing off the hook. Several department managers called, their voices tight with panic.

"Marcus, Tabitha has lost her mind. She just posted notices in all the buildings. She's demanding every tenant sign a one-year lease today. And she wants a six-month deposit upfront."

"And if they don't sign?" I asked coldly.

"She said anyone who doesn't sign by next Monday will be evicted immediately." The manager sounded utterly defeated. "Marcus, the team is panicking. They're asking if we're really moving next Monday. If we are, they say they'll grit their teeth and get through this week."

Without hesitation, I opened the all-hands chat. My fingers flew across the keyboard.

"To all staff: ignore the landlord's demands. Under no circumstances should you sign a new lease."

"Just hang in there for a week. The company will fully reimburse all hotel and temporary accommodation costs for this week."

Just as the message sent, my office door burst open. Simon, my assistant, ran in, pale and holding a tablet.

"Marcus, we have a problem!"

"Yesterday, when you went to confront Tabitha, she secretly recorded it. She edited the footage and posted it online. It's already trending locally!"

I took the tablet and played the video, which already had over a million views.

The video showed absolutely none of Tabithas arrogance. It only showed me storming into her office with a crowd of employees, and then me falling to the floor, followed by Daisy looking like she was about to attack the guards.

A voiceover of Tabitha, sniffling and crying, played over the footage.

"These corporate bullies think they can run this town. I'm just a simple, honest landlord who tried to adjust the rent slightly to match the market. This boss, Marcus, brought dozens of thugs to wreck my office and threatened to ruin my life."

In the second half, her cousin made an appearance, tearfully complaining about how our company was blacklisting the apartments and bullying local residents.

I scrolled through the comments. They were filled with venomous outrage.

Greedy corporate scum deserve to rot!

Using his employees to bully a helpless landlord? Boycott this company!

Simon looked close to tears. "Marcus, the PR department just called. Because of this viral video, our stock price dropped at the opening bell. Several partners we were supposed to sign contracts with this morning have put things on hold."

Tabitha had twisted the truth. Not only did she want to bleed my employees dry, but she wanted to use our companys reputation as a stepping stone to play the victim.

I tossed the tablet onto the desk and took a deep breath.

"Get legal on this immediately. Tell them to gather everything and prepare a defamation lawsuit."

Simon nodded and hurried out.

I leaned back, closing my eyes to clear my head.

Tabitha's move was dirty, but it was sloppy. She thought she could ride a wave of internet outrage to destroy me, but she forgot how quickly the internet can turn. Once we moved out, her little empire of cards would collapse.

I picked up the intercom and called facilities.

"Is the inspection on the new office complete?"

"Yes, Marcus," came the quick reply. "Everything is signed off, the air systems are fully tested, and we're ready for move-in."

I tapped my desk, my eyes cold. "Good. Contact the moving company privately. This weekend, we pack up all core servers, equipment, and files."

That afternoon, Tabitha walked right into my office.

"Well, Marcus, saw the video yet? How does it feel?" She smirked, sliding her phone across my desk.

On screen was a screenshot of my message in the main group chat telling everyone not to sign the leases. Clearly, she had a mole in our lower ranks.

However, she hadn't seen the executive-level planning chats about the move.

"Marcus, you really thought you could stage a rent strike against me?" Tabitha sneered. "Since you want to play games with your employees' housing, let's talk about your corporate lease."

I looked at her coldly. "Tabitha, don't push your luck. This land lease was signed with the local municipality, not you."

Tabitha laughed. "Oh, Marcus. Did you really forget? When you first arrived here, clueless and eager, who do you think paved the way and handled the government paperwork for you?"

"I secured the master agency lease for this entire plot first. Legally speaking, your lease is with me."

My stomach tightened. When I first came here, her apparent community-minded attitude had charmed me into choosing this location over better options in the city. I never realized she had set a trap from day one.

Tabitha tapped the desk. "So, here is your official notice. Starting next month, your corporate land lease is going up eighty percent. From one hundred thousand a month to one hundred and eighty thousand."

"And on Monday, you will pay the eighty-thousand difference for this past month."

I stared at her greedy face and let out a cold laugh. "This is extortion."

Tabitha shrugged. "It's just business. You're the one clinging to a verbal agreement about fixed rates. If you think it's too expensive, I have other company owners coming to look at the site on Monday. If you don't pay, I'll have them move in."

"I built this office building with my own capital," I pointed out.

Tabitha laughed so hard she practically cried. "So what? You want to tear it down? Go ahead, try! Otherwise, I'll just let the new tenants use your state-of-the-art building for free. What are you going to do about it?"

I looked at her smug face, and a strange calm washed over me.

"Fine. Come see me on Monday."

Thinking she had won, Tabitha stood up, victorious. "Smart choice, Marcus. Be reasonable, and we all win."

For the next few days, Tabitha was nowhere to be seen. I saw on social media that she had flown out of town for a luxury vacation. Her caption read:

No matter how big the boss is, they still crawl when you squeeze them. Raised the rent, and he didn't even dare to whisper a complaint.

I took a screenshot of the post and sent it to my leadership team chat with a single sentence:

"Begin the move."

Over the weekend, the entire company executed a silent, flawless evacuation.

By Monday morning, I stood alone at the entrance of the commercial park, waiting for Tabitha.

She had just come straight from the airport, dragging her designer suitcase toward me.

"Marcus! Out here waiting for me so early? I guess you've made up your mind." She smirked, chin held high.

"But I've changed my mind. It's now a hundred percent increase. You owe me an extra hundred thousand today."

I didn't say a word. I simply stepped aside, clearing her view of the road ahead.

Tabitha's eyes followed my movement.

The next second, the smirk froze on her face.

She stared at the empty space ahead, her voice trembling. "What... what did you do?"