Rents are ususally negotiable
April 1st, 2009 | by david |In our time doing managing this site, we have heard of many people who have successfully negotiated a lower rental amount than what was advertised. If you bring something to the table that is desirable, often times the renter will favorably move on the rental amount.
Most landlords or property managers will happily take a person with solid references, and a willingness to sign a longer lease – at a lower rental amount – over a person with no rental history, or a person who can only sign a 6 month lease over the preferred year lease.
If you don’t have any pets, that is also a negotiating point. Don’t smoke? That is another one.
I had a friend that negotiated a lower rent by agreeing to paint the apartment she was living in. The bottom line – even if you don’t have much to bring to the table – is to ask. All they can say is ‘no’ and you might be surprised that the landlord is flexible, especially if they are highly motivated to rent the unit, or if it has been sitting on the market for a while.