Going about asking landlord to lower the rent?

JDMYOFAN

Simplicity is the key,

Thanks :beer:

email sent, fingers crossed

tbs624

There's no harm in asking but just a couple of points:

Are you within a Fixed Term or did your original contract expire and you have remained under a periodic agreement, running from month to month?

If you *are* still within a Fixed Term you are obliged to pay what was agreed unless someone else ( who is acceptable to the LL) can be found to take over the tenancy.

If you are under a periodic the LL may well take the view that it sounds as though you may want to move on at any point, so may want you to sign up for a further Fixed Term if he agrees to any decrease in rent.

You have to factor in fees involved in finding a new home, plus the hassle factor of actually moving. A credit check each will costs you £50 x 2 minimum and many LAs slap on fees for general admin, fees for printing off the tenancy agreement, fees for breathing , plus you get to start over with a new LL/LA who may prove more problematic.

Your comment about dealing direct with the LL won't work: if you originally came to the LLs property via the LA then they will seek to enforce their fee structure for the whole time that you are present at the property, unless the LL and the LA can agree some sort of exit fee.

JDMYOFAN

Currently the LA's contract renewal fee has been wavered for both ourselves and the LL. This was following up from a 'run in' we had when we were advised the LL had given us the options of 'renew 12 month contract or leave'. The landlord completley denied this, kicked off at the agency and threatened to manage the rental himself.

We're currently signed into a '12 month contract' (but can give 2 months notice at any point). The "12 month contract" is just jargon for "we'll attempt to charge you another fee in 12 months time".

We were only ever charged £120 for moving in, which covers all credit checks etc. We have access to suitable vehicles to allow transport of our house belongings etc and could easily move within a day, as we only live in an apartment!

Realistically, if we were to move, within 1 month the LA's fees (based on what we were charged this time) would be offset within 1 month when you factor the savings we would be making (20 miles each per day).

Average car costs more than 30p a mile to run, we'd be saving 40 miles per day, which over 20 workdays is technically £240.

herbertthehelper

With all things there is no point in not trying to negotiate some kind of deal it could benefit both you and the landlord!

JDMYOFAN

Quick update,

Landlord sent back a friendly response saying they're not willing to lower the rent.

We're going to start looking at properties elsewhere within the same price range (saving hundreds per month on travelling costs, plus the time).

May even consider getting on the property market !

ruggedtoast

How much of a discount were you asking for incidentally?

JDMYOFAN

I asked for a 20% reduction as we would have been happy with a negotiated rate of 10%, Had we asked for 10 but offered 5%, this would not have been worthwhile (as we have now made the decision to move)

ruggedtoast

I'm not surprised they said no tbh.

barnaby-bear

nj106 wrote: »

Hi everyone, hoping for some friendly advice here. Sorry for the essay but it's needed!

My partner and I have been renting a property for nearly 2 years now and I'm attempting to get on top of my finances. My partner's job position has changed which means what was a central location for the both of us to work, is no more. I'm considering relocating which would half our travelling times and expenses.

We are happy with our current location due to being central to the family and shops, though I'm hoping to propose to the landlord to drop the rent by 10% per month. The apartments above and below us have both been unoccupied for over 6 months, so this would hopefully be grounds for negotiation.

The problem is, our rental fee appears to be the 'going rate' for a property similar to ours, is it still worth a shot?

Can anyone advise the best way to go about this? I have the landlords direct contact details (as we have had NOTHING but issues with the lettings agency, who don't ever pass any information on when requested). I was thinking about a friendly email to our landlord stating that our circumstances have changed (job location (which is true)) and to offset the additional travelling costs we'll either have to reluctantly relocate, or ask he drops the rent so we can continue to live there. The landlord is very happy with us as tenants as we treat the property with respect.

Things to take into consideration:

* We would be prepared to move should the rent stay the same.
* Surrounding properties have been unoccupied for some time
* We have been living at the address for nearly 2 years, sailed through inspections
* Mortgage rates have dropped, potentially the landlord is paying a very small mortgage
* Ideally we would like a 20% reduction, then negotiation might be 0%
* The main reason for the reduction is to offset the travelling costs.

I don't intend on 'bullying' the landlord into dropping the rent but if the landlord has the property unoccupied for 1 month, that's a 100% loss, which is the same loss as 10 months at the lower fee or 5 months at the desired reduction.

I have drafted a letter, but would appreciate input from both landlords and tenants points of view.

Time of year is a big factor in some markets, here in Cambridge any old dross can be let July to Oct no problem; Nov-Jan the market is very quiet and even decent stuff hangs around - the uni/summer student letting market dominates - this kind of deal can be far more easy at the right time for the local market. If you give up a tenancy the LL knows he'll let it for more at this time of year here.

franklee

mlz1413 wrote: »

I think I'd take the personal stuff out, how about:

Dear Mr X,

Due to recent changes in my partners job we are having to reconsider our monthly spend and therefore location.

We are very happy here and so would like to ask if a reduction in rent was possible so that we do not have to move. Our ideal rent would be £400 pm we'd be more than happy to bypass the current lettings agency should this be an option.

I do hope this doesn't offend, as we are happy with the property, though circumstances have meant we may need to reconsider our options. Please note, this isn't me giving you our notice.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Many Thanks

NNN

That email is too much from a tenant's point of view, what's needed is to look at what matters to the landlord:

o Retaining good tenants who have always paid on time, keep the property in good order and who want to stay for a while longer.

o Avoiding the property being empty and how much a months void would cost.

o Getting an amount of rent in reasonable line with the current market, or possibly crica 10% below for proven tenants.

So the email should have been talking about the empty properties up for rent, how long they have been empty and what rents they can command. Note rents achieved may well be lower than those advertised so finding the right rent would need watching the ads and asking local agents. Plus a reminder of how reliable the current tenant is.

Such a stance makes it clear you know the market and do have other options which would hopefully make him think twice about letting you go if all it means is swapping you for an unknown tenant at a lower rent with an empty period.