Negotiating Rent Reduction
My lease is up in December, and although I would like to stay in my current apartment, I will need to negotiate a rent reduction with my landlord in order to make that possible. I live in a rental building with three units, all with almost identical floorplans. I live in the top floor unit,…
My lease is up in December, and although I would like to stay in my current apartment, I will need to negotiate a rent reduction with my landlord in order to make that possible.
I live in a rental building with three units, all with almost identical floorplans. I live in the top floor unit, which is a 6 story walk up. The other two lower floor apartments were rented 1-2 months after I signed my lease, for about 12% less than what I am currently paying. At most, I do not want to pay more than the other tenants. In any case, I think that I can do better elsewhere, and although I hate to go through the hassle of moving, I will move if I can’t get the rent reduced. My changed financial position during the last year, along with unexpectedly high heating and cooling bills in the apartment make this a necessity.
I was wondering if anyone has had luck recently with negotiating a rent reduction, and if so, how you approached it – did you put your request in writing, provide other apartment listings to show similar apartments, discuss your personal financial concerns, or just keep it simple? The situation is somewhat complicated by the fact that my landlord can be really nutty – he once repeatedly cursed at me and screamed “I’m not your slave” into the phone at me when I called to report that water was pouring through the ceiling and I requested his help, and then a few days later approached me on the street wanted to coo over my baby and pinch his cheeks. Needless to say, I don’t want to get into another screaming match with him.
Many thanks for any advice.
If the Landlord is that rude to you – simply move.
hey donatella, actually, we provide our own hot water and services, including paying electric for the hallways since the landlord stopped paying that bill. of course my circumstances don’t entitle me to a bailout – they do, however, mean that i am going to move if i don’t get a reduction, and i’d like to give my landlord, who may have trouble finding another tenant at the current cost, the chance to limit his damages. just asking for advice on how to approach the LL.
Ask for a reduction, but why should the landlord give it? Your changing circumstances shouldn’t entitle you to a bailout by somebody who is probably in the same boat as you. What about his/her circumstances, like providing a safe, clean, warm, nice apartment to you with hot water and services. These cost money. Go see if you can find something better and if you can, ask him/her for a reduction but don’t think this is due to you.
Personally, I don’t think you should give any indication that your personal financial circumstances have changed. What really matters is the change in market value and the fact that if you move out on December 31, it is quite likely that the apartment will be vacant for at least a month. I would also play up the hassle of walking up all those stairs. 15 minutes walk from the subway is a long way, which should reduce the market value. The landlord should absolutely know that moving out is a serious option for you. In this market a sixth floor walk up is going to be hard to rent.
Hi pointslope, thanks for your help. Apt is 3BR/2BA duplex, with DW, laundry room in apartment, and two decks. Sq footage was listed as 1500, not sure if that’s quite true, but probably close. It’s a pretty nice apartment (if you can live with new construction) with lots of windows (despite the fact that it fairly shoddily constructed, but since i’m renting i don’t sweat it too much). It’s located on Myrtle in Ft. Greene, about a very brisk 15 minute walk from the express subway lines on Flatbush.
Thanks!
6th Floor Walkup should be SIGNIFICANTLY less expensive than the other units in the building, and certainly not more expensive by any means.
If you give some more specifics on where the building is exactly, sq footage, room size, amenities (dishwasher, 2 baths, washer/dryer) I can give you a basic rental appraisal on how much it would rent for if your landlord had it on the market for in December (which is a bad time for your landlord to try and rent it, since almost all apartments look better when its bright, sunny, and warmer outside).
I’d say a rent reduction is definitely likely, but also, things are cheaper everywhere these days, so maybe a move wouldnt be so bad. At least you couldn’t possibly end up on a higher walkup.
So let me get this Diego I live on the 4th floor of a Brownstone and I have to pay more because? I get less polltion from the Gowanus or because I get more exersise taking the food and trash up and down?
December is a terrible time to try and rent out an apartment. The LL is pretty much guaranteed to have it sitting empty for a month. I wouldn’t mention it to him, but you should know that the timing on this strengthens your hand.
And I’d look at other apartments so you have a sense of what the market is. I would not expect to find a place and then approach the landlord and have the place still be there once you got an answer from him. There will probably be a bit of back and forth and you don’t need the added pressure of losing a place you like.
You’re in a sixth floor walk-up with a baby, the landlord is bipolar, and you pay the heating bills? There may be better apartments out there for you.