Rent - is it negotiable?

[Cletus Van Damme]

I rent a house out and I know that I could get more rent than I charge as I have never put it up for 2 years. I just look at similar houses advertised to let to get an idea. But at the end of the day the tennants are very good. I never hear anything from them and they keep the house and garden in good order. To me this is better than charging more and potentially getting some shitbag renting the house. Then again I am too soft to be a landlord and just want an easy stress free life.

 

[Mrbez]

Strange.

I have rented 3-4 properties over the past 3 years. Every time, I have negotiated and it's come off.

The landlord wants you to move in as much as you do.

Example, my last house was £950 a month, I got it to £825 and took a 12 month contract. My best mate is still there now as I moved to London with work.

My apartment before that was £875 a month and I got it for £800.

If you don't ask, you don't get.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Everything is negotiable. Think about what you can offer to the landlord, for example references that show you're a careful tenant. The negotiations may or may not be successful, but there's no harm in trying so long as you don't lose the property in the meantime.

As for bastard landlords, when I was 19 I had one who tried to keep my deposit. He was a solicitor, and came to regret this very much. I reported him to the Law Society for fraud, and had my deposit back the very next day.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Everything is negotiable but it takes two to tango. You can try a spot of give and take but it depends on the Landlord and what they want from the situation.

 

[Moodyman]

Yes, negotiate But do it on two fronts.

A - that you're a good tenant and will look after a property.

B - Longevity - if you'll be hanging around for 18+ months.

Long-sighted landlords want good tenants who stick around. Replacing tenants every 12 months is a pain. Cost of re-decorating, agent fees, updating utility companies and council tax.

If you're reasonable, you can expect a discount up to 10% of advertised price.

Us landlords are not all bar stewards.

 

[Moodyman]

A smart landlord thinks like this:

Advertised price £500. Prospective tenant wants to pay £450 and lease for 12 months. That's 12 x £50 down every month = £600 less than preferred rent.

Now, suppose I don't get the property let out for 2 months - that's potential loss of 2 x £450 = £900 loss.

I'd rather go with £450 per month

 

[CopperCyclist]

As a student we always got discount, except the one year that we went with University rented property.

After being a student, we got discount by signing a twelve month contract instead of a six month one. That was usually the way it went - we'd suggest a discount, the landlord would do a bit of 'Hmm... errr... Hmmm. How about you sign a twelve month contract and then I'll do it for that'.