How to Negotiate House Rent?

Indians negotiate in everything be it dress, food, services or others. So to answer the question can I negotiate rent, I will say- Of course. You should negotiate the rent. However, for negotiating, you will need some skills. You just cannot simply visit the owner and ask him to decrease the rent. You will need to show him/her why the rent is to be decreased. So let me share how I managed to decrease my rent before shifting to a new apartment.

How to negotiate house rent before shifting?

Once you finalise the deal, you won’t be able to decrease the rent hence negotiate the rent before shifting. Here is what you can do

• Try to point out some faults in the apartment for which the rent can be decreased

• Compare the rent of the apartments near the one you are willing to rent. State to the owner that the rent of the nearby apartments is low hence your desired apartment’s rent should also be low

• Highlight your positivity. An owner also wants good tenants so assure them you will not damage their property or harm them under any circumstances

• Let the owner know that you have other options handy to consider

• Try to figure out what basic amenities they lack for which the rent can be lowered

• I have seen many of my friends offering services like mowing the lawn, giving tuitions to their kids and more. If you can offer such services, you should ask for a decrease in the rent

Do note that a landlord usually increases 5%-10% of the rent every year. If it has already been 11 months since you are living in the rented apartment then your strategies should be a bit different. To decrease the rent, in that case,

• Try to tell the owner you face water/electricity/noise problems or more hence he/she should not increase the rent to a great extent

• Speak for your qualities. Tell them you have always been a good tenant hence they should not increase the rent to a great extent

Negotiating house rent actually will depend on your ideas, the problems you face and more. These are just mere tips to help you out. The landlord tenant negotiations are not easy but possible. 

I could decrease my rent from Rs 17,000 to Rs 14,000. I did this by

• Comparing the rents of the apartments near the one I was opting for and sharing them (of course the apartments with low rent) with the landlord. 

• I also pointed out that his apartment does not get enough sunlight so charging Rs 17k is not justified

• I pointed out the fact that the vegetable market is quite far from there. I have to walk a lot so if he does not decrease it, I might have to look somewhere else

I hope this answers the question can I negotiate rent and how quite well.