My landlord raised rent $350/month mid-lease. Said it was a 'lease error.' It wasn't.

Four months into my lease, I got a letter. It was on her letterhead, hand-signed. It said: "Dear Tenant, I am writing to inform you that there was a typographical error in your lease agreement regarding the monthly rental amount. The correct monthly rent is [X], effective [30 days from the letter date]." The correct monthly rent was $350 higher than what we had both signed.

I pulled out the original signed lease. I pulled out the email chain from before signing where we'd negotiated the amount. I pulled out the original listing screenshot. Every single document said the same number. The number we had both agreed on. The number I'd been paying for four months.

I responded in writing, via email (keeping a paper trail), asking her to clarify which specific clause of the lease she was relying on to change the rental amount, and citing the fact that a signed lease is a binding contract. I attached the relevant sections of the signed document.

She called me instead of emailing back. Said I was being difficult, that this was a simple mistake, that she needed the higher amount to "cover costs." I recorded the call (NC is one-party consent). She said she would "have to reconsider the renewal" if I wasn't willing to work with her.

I called Legal Aid of North Carolina that afternoon. The intake counselor was thorough and helpful. The short version: the signed lease controls. She cannot unilaterally change the rent. Her threat about renewal is legally within her rights but my lease protections run through the full term. I continued paying the original amount. She did not renew my lease when it ended. I was already looking for a new apartment and honestly relieved when the renewal didn't come.