BOISE, Idaho — A downtown Boise woman who spent a year without a home now fears she could lose her housing again — after a nearly 10% rent increase at an affordable housing complex.
WATCH: What affordable housing tenants should know about rent increases
The woman, who asked to keep her identity private out of fear of eviction, moved into the Adare Apartments in downtown Boise in January 2025. She found the apartment with help from CATCH, a nonprofit aimed at ending homelessness in the Treasure Valley, with rent of $1,042 a month.
"It felt so nice just to have a little bit of privacy and to have a bath, that's a really big thing that you miss and to be able to cook," she said.
She received a letter notifying her that her monthly rent would increase by $100, to $1,142.
"I worry about being homeless again," she said.
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She moved in because the apartment was supposed to be affordable, but said the increase has made it harder to get by.
"I don't make very much money. And that was over half my monthly income,” she said. “When you make around 15, 16 bucks an hour or less it's really not that affordable.”
She said the extra $100 a month has forced her to cut back on her everyday necessities.
"I don't eat as much as I used to. It dug into my food allotment for the month,” she said. “'I’m really nervous about that. I'm really scared about that. I don't want to have to move.”
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Stephanie Day, executive director of CATCH, said tenants should understand the protections that apply to their apartments.
"Make sure that people are not increasing your rent at a rate or a frequency that they're not supposed to," Day said.
According to Idaho Housing and Finance Association's guidelines for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit properties, a landlord is allowed to increase rent annually – as long as they follow certain guidelines:
- Rent and income limits are set by HUD and updated yearly
- Rent cannot be increased more than once in a 12-month period
- Rent cannot be increased by more than 10% per 12-month period, unless landlord receives special approval from IHFA
Tenants must receive notice prior to rent hike
- 0-5% increase: 30 day notice
- >5% increase: 60 day notice
- Rent cannot be increased during the term of the initial lease you signed at move-in
- Rent limits are based on the bedroom size of the apartment, not your income. Rents will NOT be automatically adjusted if your income changes after moving in
- The maximum rent limit includes the sum of your rent, the utility allowance, and any required or mandatory fees that could apply
When an increase follows the rules, Day said, help for people trying to stay housed can be limited.
"We're in a space where we're genuinely having a crisis. The last resort is like maybe call around to some local churches and see if anybody might be willing to help," Day said.
The woman's rent increase falls within those rules — but that doesn't make it easier to afford, with little relief available.
"If my rent's raised again, I think with another job I might be able to afford it, but if it's raised again one more time after that, I would probably have to move out of these apartments," she said.
Resources for renters
- City of Boise tenant rights and responsibilities Â
- City of Boise affordable housing complexesÂ
- Idaho Legal AidÂ
- Idaho Health and Welfare housing resourcesÂ
- Idaho Housing and Finance Association Tenant Guide
- HUD Office of Fair Housing & Equal OpportunityÂ
- Intermountain Fair Housing Council
- Idaho Human Rights Commission
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
