Charles Dickens

I inherited an apartment building from my grandmother. She kept rents low for decades—alot of tenants have been there 20+ years, paying less than a third of market rate. Some are elderly on fixed incomes. Some are families who've built their lives around this affordable housing, but I can't afford to do what she did. Property taxes have tripled. Maintenance costs are crushing me. I've been subsidizing the building from my own salary, but I have kids approaching college age and no retirement savings. If I raise rents to market rate, most of these people will have to leave. They can't afford anything else in this city. One woman told me she'd be homeless. My financial advisor tells me I'm not a charity. These people would have had to move eventually anyway. I didn't create the housing crisis. He's right I didn't create it. But I'm being asked to enforce it. My grandmother sacrificed her own financial security for these tenants. Was that noble or naive? Am I obligated to continue her sacrifice, or is it fair to finally pursue my own interests?

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