It used to be that you asked your landlord for an extension when you couldn't make rent, but some renters are taking a different route. ABC News profiled people who recently threw profitable parties in the name of raising rent money, blaming their monthly shortfall on economic forces.
The idea is to charge guests about $10 for snacks, drinks, and a place to party. Rob Alica collects up to $400 from successful rent parties and said, "When people move into apartments they throw housewarming parties and people donate things. So I said to myself, 'Why can't I just throw a party and have people just donate money to a cause?' The cause being me."
ABC has a few tips for people interested in throwing their own rent party: have the party at your apartment to "show partygoers where their contributions are going"; collect cash as guests arrive; don't spend all the donations on food and drinks for the party; create a fun playlist to keep the party going.
What's your opinion of rent parties?
melissa
Ghibli
3suisses
This was an episode on Good Times.
1Guilt tripping your friends and asking them to contribute to your rent? Definitely not classy! Gifts for housewarming party should be exactly that- gifts ... not a cash requirement to hang out at your apartment.
2it's tacky
3if i'm throwing a party for my friends, i'm not going to ask them to pay to come
this is a creative idea but in practice this would never work
you'd just be the cheap broke girl who has no friends
as a starving college student always wondering how im going to pay rent. yes this is a good idea. this is fantastic. especially since i give my cookies and treats away for free! might as well bake for my friends and charge them
4Tacky Tacky Tacky!
5Too bad NYC apts are too small and cost too much. There would be no way to prosper from this scheme.
6Sorry, that's beyond tacky. I would never go to a party like that...why not just go out on the street and start begging people for money? I can see asking people to pitch in for a keg if you get one, but not for your rent. If you can't make your rent, shouldn't you be looking for a cheaper place to live?
7I agree, if you can't afford your rent, even though times are tough, throwing a party to raise the money seems really distasteful. When I came short on rent money I would negotiate some kind of deal with my landlord to get it paid and not get kicked out. This is why I've always rented from private owners and not a complex.
8That's a good idea when your in college or when your young and have some fun with it a few times when money is tight but when your older its so tacky and rude to your friends. Don't live beyond your means.
9well - it's unique and kind of smart however i can't imagine doing that to my friends, and doing it more than once. it's definitely hard sometimes living in NYC and being able to afford my rent but i guess some how i've managed to make do.
10While innovative, this is stupid and tacky.
If you can't afford your rent - MOVE. Stop mooching off of other people!
Most people who've been laid off who've lived in houses had to move out b/c they couldn't afford the mortgage, or downscale into smaller apartments or hotels or are homeless if they couldn't afford those places, which is tragic.
If you *still have a job*, but can't afford your rent because of "economic forces", what you MEAN is that you have terrible money management. All the people donating to you at that point are just enablers!
11If someone invited me to one of these, our friendship would be seriously in question. And how do you even phrase the invitation? "I'm throwing a party, but it will cost you $10 to come"? WTF. Beyond tacky.
12I guess I'd like to add that I'd be more open to this if the person throwing the party had something sudden happen to them, like a death in the family, injury, illness etc, or maybe if they had a pet that got sick and needed some expensive vet care and it was more of a fundraiser for the animal's vet bills. But to do this kind of thing just because you're living beyond your means is dumb.
13It's disgusting; I would never do this to my friends.
14Awwwwkwarrrrd.
15Weird, I could never ask my friends to do this.
16tacky.
17Post New Comment
Please share your opinion with our community, but make sure it is on topic and follows our Community Rules. We moderate comments and prohibit personal attacks, threats, spam, lewd images, or the promotion of your personal website.