Man Lived In Office 500 Days Because He Couldn’t Afford Rent

A man lived in his office for 500 days for an unusual reason. The Los Angeles citizen, who goes by the pseudonym Terry K, gave up his apartment because even working 60 hours a week wasn’t enough to pay rent on an apartment he hardly even saw.

It could have been worse, as a woman and her baby were killed in Northern California when an alleged drunk driver crashed into their apartment, as previously reported by the Inquisitr.

Terry was a living testimony to the infamous meme about how the “rent is too damned high” when he decided he could save money simply living where he worked. He kept it a secret for nearly two years, not eager to ruin what turned out to be an awkward, but workable, compromise.

As the clever Los Angeles man discovered, living in his office for 500 days turned from a quick fix to a lifestyle change. It also came with some risks which he figured out how to minimize. The biggest fear he had was getting discovered, so he woke up earlier than usual just to deflate his inflatable mattress, put everything away and out of sight, reset the thermostat to the uncomfortable level they always left it at, and leave for some exercise.

Unable to pay #rent, a #LosAngeles man secretly lived in his office for 500 days. http://t.co/qf44946fb1 pic.twitter.com/BwY0tudBkt

— Carbonated.TV (@CarbonatedTV) May 8, 2015

After getting his jog and shower in, Terry found he wasn’t always the first one into the office. This helped throw off suspicions: If he was always the first one to show up, people might investigate what was going on.

Where did Terry get his idea to literally move into his office with duffel bags containing his clothes and prized possessions? He noticed an influx of stories about U.S. Congressmen doing the same thing and the proverbial gears began to turn. Combining that with his shrinking savings, a sudden hospital bill, and yet another raise in rent, he decided to cut his losses and become one of the middle-class homeless (or as he preferred to call it, “home free”).

The day finally came when the man couldn’t live in his office any more. The 500 days were up. He’d been laid off, losing his job and his “home” all at once. Thankfully he’d had a backup plan.

Terry had built himself a modest, tiny home attached to the back of his truck, picking up odd jobs where he could and writing for a living. Compared to the losing battle of maintaining an overpriced Los Angeles apartment, it was more satisfying to live minimal and mobile at around 20 hours a week.

For this Los Angeles man, living in his office for 500 days was only the beginning of a choice he doesn’t regret, and as he writes at Salon, he’s much happier.

[Image via Fox / Rachel J. Daniel]