They must have really pissed off the landlord. It doesn't say what they asked for in the lease agreement changes... Or what they said to him when they "complained" when he raised the rent initially by a smaller amount.
Still ridiculous that it's legal to raise rent by that much, but oof, if you're in one of those buildings, be nice to your landlord.
Edit: i think people are taking what I said the wrong way - I'm saying with the way things are, if landlords can get away with this, they hold all the power!
Edit2: I guess I'm the bad guy here, but I recommend you focus your rage on Ford who set this shit up in the first place.