Renovations come at a high price for renters

I’m taking a break. I just finished packing my 130th box. Don’t judge. Yes, I should have done a better job of sifting through all this stuff, but it was just too depressing. It’s bad enough that I have to get boxes, tape, bubble wrap and packing paper again. And you ask why? Because we have to move, again. ...

Maybe I should have used my inheritance to buy that condo back when my dad passed away in the late 1980s. The thing is, if I had, I probably wouldn’t have gone back to graduate school or taken my mom on that fancy five-country tour of the Middle East . ...

Nor would I have moved to northern New Mexico or New York City or San Francisco. I’d still be stuck in the San Fernando Valley.

But something feels different this time. I saw a news clip of several people protesting outside of the Roundhouse a few weeks ago because rents have increased over 70% since 2017 and people are having to spend 30% or more of their income on housing, without seeing a rise in salaries to help offset these costs.

Yes, this move feels very different from any in the past. And its small comfort that we are not alone in this; in fact, it just makes me feel worse.

Santa Fe has unfortunately caught up with the rest of the country with this problem. Of course, we have always had a shortage of affordable housing here, both for sale and for rent. But now it feels a bit more mean-spirited and predatory.

In my experience as a renter, in the past when an owner wanted to take back possession of their house or apartment, it was usually because one of their kids needed a place to live, or they were going to sell, or move back in. But this time, we were informed our landlord wants to renovate. I’m guessing they will raise the rent to “market” value. And I’m sure it will be for several hundred dollars more a month.

But remember, you can’t take it with you. And what will they say to the big guy when they get to the pearly gates?

But hey, I don’t want to end this rant on a negative note. So, if you know of a place for rent, let me know. We need a few bedrooms and bathrooms and a garage. Oh, and a nice backyard. We’ll have a barbecue and invite you over. Hamburger and guacamole?

MARLENE SIMON Santa Fe