By Sangeeta Kocharekar Entertainment 09.05.2020

"What Sharing My Rent on TikTok Taught Me About How We Value 'Home'"

When Sangeeta Kocharekar shared her weekly rent on TikTok, the internet weighed in – hard. But the viral post sparked a deeper reflection: what really defines a home, and why value means more than just cost.

I’m a budding content creator, always looking for fresh angles to get me more views on TikTok. Recently, I had an idea. I post interiors of my one-bedroom apartment on the platform often, but what if I also shared how much I pay in rent?

I already had all the photos of my apartment. I just added some on-screen text about my weekly rent ($625 a week), which went on the first slide, and then some text about what I liked about my apartment on the rest of the slides.

The post quickly started getting likes, comments, saves, and shares, gaining me hundreds of new followers. For the next few days, every time I opened TikTok, there was more engagement and new followers from the post. It performed far better than any of my other posts about my apartment, ever.

The comments about my rent price were divided. Some people thought $625 for a one-bedroom in North Bondi with an (ever-so-slight) ocean view, loads of natural sunlight and separate lounge room and dining room was a steal.

“This is rareeee,” someone commented. “Didn’t think you could get a one-bedroom for that price. You’ve got a good landlord,” another wrote.

Others thought it was a rip-off and told me I could get more space, a car spot and aircon (I was surprised at how many comments about aircon I got!) further out from the city. One person asked if I had a roommate because the rent was “insane” – as in too much for one person to afford.

It made me think about what people value in a home and how that changes at different life stages. Basically, what are the factors that shape our perception of rental value? It’s a meaty subject, but I think it can be broken down into sub-topics.

Lifestyle

Someone prioritising easy access to public transport, proximity to the beach and being in an area with lots happening (me!) will value a home’s location differently than someone who needs parking, more space for family or a yard for pets and proximity to good schooling.

Finances

Affordability is subjective. It’s long been said that 20% of your income going to rent is a good number. But I don’t think it’s as simple as that. It also depends on your financial obligations and savings goals. I don’t have anyone else to support or any debt to pay off. I’m also not saving for anything other than the distant dream of owning property.

Past Experiences

We all have a mental benchmark for how much rent should cost. Most of us base our judgments on what we’ve paid in the past. I’ve been living in Bondi for the last decade, so I know that with inflation and my quality-of-life expectations, I’m likely only going to be paying more for every new place I rent, so that thinking affects my budget.

Trade-Offs

The lack of air-con might be a dealbreaker for some, but it wasn’t for me. What were dealbreakers for me – that might not be for others – were natural light and no carpet. I’d lived in a ground-floor apartment that was in such a shaded area you could barely tell it was still light out. And I’d lived in another place with stained carpeting. I always felt embarrassed when people came over. I wasn’t going to compromise on those two things.

Goals

Finally, someone planning to stay long-term somewhere will have different value considerations than someone staying somewhere temporarily. When I did uni exchange in Sydney (I’m American), I was only staying in my accommodation for six months, so I didn’t mind too much what it was like – I just wanted it to be near other uni students and, of course, the uni.

With where I live now, I knew I didn’t want to move for a while again, so I tried to find a place I loved. I didn’t want to make too many compromises.

My rent transparency revealed that a rental’s value is subjective (and that people on TikTok love to put in their two cents). The equation for a ‘good’ rental goes far beyond price. What might be considered a steal to one person can feel like a rip-off to another, and neither person is wrong. Ultimately, it’s about how well the rent price aligns with how you define and experience ‘home’. I know where I live now certainly fits my definition of it.