Forum Archive

Hi,

Back in Nov., I posted a query here about asking for a rent reduction: http://www.brownstoner.com/forum/archives/2008/11/asking_for_rent.php and I really appreciated the feedback we got here. In case there was anyone in a similar situation, or if anyone was curious, I thought I’d provide an update.

We ended up writing a letter to our landlords saying: we truly enjoyed our first year with them, and that we’d like to stay. However, the market seemed to be changing and we were wondering if they were open to negotiating the rent? We did not name a price, and we were just trying to respectfully ask about the possibility of a conversation. They wrote back almost immediately and said that we should find something else, that the apartment reflected a great value in 2008 and continued to reflect a great value in 2009. We signed a lease for a much better apartment (for us) that weekend. Our lease ended on Jan. 15, so we moved out and received our full security deposit back. The husband half of our landlord couple came down and was very friendly, and seemed genuinely happy that we were staying in Park Slope, and wished us well.

Our old apartment has still not rented, and they have already listed two price reductions; it is now listed for $500 less (originally $3000).

The point of this post is not to talk about whether the apartment was worth the price or not (I know I frustrated some of you last Nov. by not providing details about the apartment, but I was trying to respect people’s privacy), and the scenario of today’s market is a little different from that of November. I did want to tell people just the facts of our situation in case it helps anybody. Of course, moving again was an expense and a huge pain, but worth it to us, and we maintained cordial relations with all involved by trying to be polite and respectful.