Or, people need to calibrate their desires for housing to their ability to pay for it. When landlords have bought property that becomes more valuable, they made

Or, people need to calibrate their desires for housing to their ability to pay for it. When landlords have bought property that becomes more valuable, they made an investment that paid off. This is what happens everywhere all the time. People speculate, some win, some lose. You've probably done it yourself, maybe by speculating on where to apply for employment. It's hard to win that way since millions of people can copy that thesis. There is only so much real estate however. At each rent increase, you could re-evaluate whether the investment is working out for you and adjust accordingly. You could also lobby your employer to move somewhere more affordable. I understand that is not a simple or easy thing to do, and you have my empathy. I just want to give you some insight a bit above "yeah, fuck those guys, you got screwed" which is not all that helpful to you.