This seems to be quite a problem around Seattle. People hear about how rents are going up so much and get delusions of grandeur. "I'll become a real estate baron!" When in reality all they have is a 500sqf 1/1 they rent out. Then you start getting rents going up way beyond cost of living, totaling far more than whatever mortgage payment they may have just "because they can" and the broke ass college student gets fucked. I'm the dick forcing a family out of their home so I can pursue my greedy capitalist wealth fantasies.
To elaborate - it's actually my home, and they were told that their 1-year lease would not be renewed past its expiration date four months in advance. Further, they were told that if they wanted to start a new lease on the 1st instead of, you know, the 15th (like the one they have with us because they swooped in so fast we couldn't even refinish the floors) we would be happy to oblige that. Their move? "Hey, can we get out of the lease four months early with no penalties, rather than two weeks?" In any read by anyone who has never rented property to another, though, I'm still the dick.