When Santa Monica resident Rob Leonard got a notice telling him that rent for his one-bedroom apartment would go up $100 a month starting in September, he had to read the letter several times because he thought there was a mistake.
"I was in shock," he said. "Twelve hundred dollars a year — that's people's grocery money. That's gas. I have a cat, so that's cat food, cat litter, or one vet visit could amount to $1,200. I generally live within my means, but it just means I'm going to have to work even harder and grind more."
Leonard moved to the beachfront city in June 2013 from South L.A. and started out paying $1,450 a month. His rent has gone up slightly every year, but the latest hike — a new monthly payment of $1,764 — is the largest bump in nine years.
