How to Negotiate Your Lease (Which Is Probably Likely Up)

Q: The lease on my daughter’s Midtown Manhattan condominium expires in May perhaps, and she is involved about a lease hike. When she signed the lease, she bought two months of free of charge hire. Now, similar models in the building are leasing for 35 % a lot more than what she’s paying. Could the landlord really increase her lease that substantially? Can she negotiate?

A: A landlord can increase the rent on a marketplace-charge apartment by any amount of money, or not renew the lease, so extensive as the tenant receives suitable see dependent on how long they’ve lived in the condominium. Provided the existing current market ailments, it is very likely your daughter’s rent will go up.

In January, rental inventory was down 60 p.c citywide and the median asking rent was up 34.5 % in Manhattan and 13.5 % in Brooklyn 12 months above 12 months, according to StreetEasy. The end result is a frenzied rental market place with bidding wars and lines out the doorway for open up homes. Any tenant who signed a lease in the course of the earlier two yrs, when rents were down and concessions had been widespread, should really be prepared for a probable lease hike.

But brokers insist that negotiations are probable, even in a aggressive current market. “People fail to remember that they can negotiate,” stated Erin Whitney, a saleswoman at Bohemia Realty Group. “The to start with rule is generally do it.”

Listed here are some negotiating tips from the industry experts:

Do your research. “Do your research on rentals in the constructing, on the block and in the neighborhood to make sure the renewal price your landlord is offering is honest and in line with the present-day current market,” claimed Lauren Riefflin, StreetEasy’s home traits pro. “Leverage that data in conversations with your landlord.”

Begin the discussion early. Simply call your landlord at least a few months just before the lease expires and check with regardless of whether the lease will be likely up. This will give you time to negotiate and take into consideration your choices.

Engage in to your strengths. Vacancies value landlords money — they drop lease even though they clear, paint, maintenance and present the apartment. And they may well have to pay the broker’s payment, also. A new tenant might be noisy or not spend on time. Position out these challenges, and question for a compromise. Potentially you could shave $100 a month off the enhance. Or, obtain other strategies to help you save. Question for an 18-thirty day period or 24-month lease to lock in the conditions for longer. If you pay out a pet or amenity price, potentially the landlord could possibly waive one particular. Or maybe you could use the prospect to get some repairs, like a new stove to replace an getting old a single. “There are a lot of means that you can body a constructive discussion with your landlord,” explained Vicki V. Negron, an affiliate broker with Corcoran.

Think about your have prices. Going is not cheap. Estimate how a lot it will expense you to move, factoring in a shifting van, a broker cost and other connected fees. Then compute the boost over the system of the 12 months and determine irrespective of whether or not you are going to come out ahead if you remain or if you go.