It's no secret that the rental market is a bit of a mess right now - especially in over-populated major cities like London and New York City.
Around a third of renters in the UK pay at least half of their salary to their landlords, according to research from SpareRoom.
But while the housing crisis doesn't seem to be showing signs of improving any time soon, one lucky New Yorker claims that he got three months' worth of rent covered by a billionaire.
Taking to TikTok, Manhattan renter Flavio recently shared a clip titled: "How I'm not paying rent for 3 months in NYC," and it's fair to say, we're all pretty intrigued.
Advert
In the clip, which has been liked more than 12,000 times, Flavio begins by revealing he'd just gotten home from 'the craziest interaction [he'd] ever had in New York', which he felt compelled to share, despite it being 'very unrealistic, but very New York'.
As he delved into the story, Flavio, who lives with his partner, said: "There’s this mega-mansion they’re building in front of my street. And it’s, like, worth, like, $50 million.
"And then, [a few months ago], I saw this billionaire that is very famous. And he was walking around the block."
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, and Flavio says he received a letter through his front door, proclaiming to be from the mysterious billionaire.
He continued: “Basically, the letter just said, 'There’s family members of this person that are joining your community. They’re moving in this weekend... and this other weekend something else is happening at their house.'"
Advert
To cut a long story short, the billionaire apparently requested that Flavio and his partner vacate their apartment during these set specific dates and times, which initially left them feeling pretty baffled.
However, the letter went on to say: "We’ve contacted your landlord, we know how much rent you pay. We’re willing and able to cover, like, one month’s rent."
Although the TikToker said he was more than happy to vacate the apartment for approximately 40 hours, but after looking up the billionaire's net worth, he decided to respond by asking for three months' rent instead.
Advert
And according to Flavio, the billionaire's team agreed to the three months' rent on the condition that the creator sign a non-disclosure agreement to prevent him from revealing the identity of the billionaire or the specifics of their agreement.
So, you might be wondering why on Earth he decided to share it on TikTok?
Well, apparently the renter feels confident that nothing will happen as he has already received the money, but that hasn't stopped other TikTokers from sending warning messages his way.
Advert
"Dude, I would delete [this] until after February," one wrote.
Another added: "They will literally not only take [the money] back, but then come after you for violating."
In a follow up video, Flavio backed his decision not to delete the original TikTok, revealing he had made an impressive $5,200 as a result of it going viral.
"People don't realise how much money there is on this app," he said.
Advert
"You got to do is just be yourself and post."
Featured Image Credit: flavioandflavio/TikTok/Getty Stock PhotoTopics: US News, TikTok, Viral