Tenants Successful Gesture of Negotiating Rent With Landlord Using Cookies Goes Viral
Rent prices constitute a sizeable chunk of an individual's expenses, driving the need for affordable accommodation at a time when other living costs are rising. To tackle this, one tenant found a unique way to reduce his rent by catering to his landlord's sweet tooth. In a TikTok video shared by Bradley (@baddie.brad), he is shown preparing cookie dough, with a caption revealing that he negotiated his rent down to $650 per month by baking cookies for his landlord.
Bradley focuses on money-saving tips in his videos, and encourages his followers to manage their finances effectively. On his TikTok page, he discusses the importance of having a side hustle and taking charge of one's spending habits. Thanks to his engaging and insightful content, Bradley has gained over 170,000 followers and nearly 10.3 million likes.
His popularity stems from the stark contrast between the TikTok user's affordable rent and the typically high rental costs in the United States. On average, rent in the US is around $1,372, with Hawaii topping the list at an average of $2,418. Bradley's residence in Connecticut, where the average rent is $1,850, offers a remarkable deal at just $650 per month.
In recent years, rent in the US surged, driven by high occupancy rates and low vacancy rates in 2021 and 2022, as a major proportion of the young population is struggling to find affordable accommodation. However, since August 2023, rental prices have been gradually declining. The construction of new apartments has increased the housing supply, making rental accommodations slightly more affordable for the public.
Amassing over a million views, the video has the TikTok community buzzing with excitement and surprise. A user commented, "I'm so jealous of $650, I pay $2,040 for a tiny apartment, you can probably guess where I live. lol," while another commentator wrote, "Crying in $2,000 rent." A viewer noted, "That rent price will get you a 5-bedroom house in my country." "The west is crazy, I'm having a great time in my €300 2+1" someone added.
Several viewers were impressed by the tenant's ingenuity and applauded his creative approach to negotiating lower rent. They praised him for finding a unique solution to reduce his housing expenses. A TikToker humorously suggested, "Colorado 2 bedrooms start at $2300 if you're lucky. I'm going to need to marry my landlord, bro." Meanwhile, an individual shared their experience, saying, "I tried this lmao, he refused, saying he's trying to be healthy, and then our rent skyrocketed the next month.
As Bradley's video takes the internet by storm, his situation largely sheds light on the need to come up with systemic solutions to address the root causes of housing affordability issues in our communities. What started as a negotiation tactic, however, turned into a genuine connection, reminding the viewers that the sweetest solutions arise from the simplest gestures. And in this case, a batch of homemade cookies was all it took to make a house feel like home.