A lot of apartments in my area do first year discounts. The reason for that is a lot of cities have rules about how much you can raise rent in a year. Discounts are a loophole since they can raise it based off the non-discounted value. Also moving sucks and a new place has a chance of being terrible (and you’re stuck for a year). So people are more willing to pay an increase once they’re already in an apartment they tolerate.

I wonder with these types of stories. The people were either lied to by the company, which I don’t ever see mentioned, or settled down without making sure they could. If you’re signing a mortgage and not thinking beyond a few years then it’s partially on you. Partially because covid lockdowns were a crazy time, companies weren’t communicating well because they didn’t have a plan, and recent RTO policies aren’t for the reasons the company claims.