Tip No. 8: Ask for too much. OK, don't go overboard. But "make sure you ask for more than you expect to get," says Willerton, who says he once was able to get 12 months of free rent on a five-year lease for a commercial client. How? "I asked for 18 months," Willerton says. Remember, it's a negotiation. Start bigger and settle for a little less, but for what you actually want.
"Tenants have to have a mind-set of negotiating to win," Willerton says. "You don't go to your landlord and say, 'As a favor, can you do this for me?' Be prepared to win."
Tip No. 9: Go long. Landlords want stability and certainty. Turnover is unstable and painful for them — particularly in high-rent places such as New York City. "If you are a good, desirable person, they do not want to lose you. It is very hard to find someone that makes 45 times the rent (the usual requirement to sign the lease in New York City) and has good credit," Schwartz says.
"Sign a two-year lease, with a three-month notification for ending the lease, suggests Mike Piepsny, executive director of the Cleveland (Ohio) Tenants Organization. In exchange for giving that security, demand an appropriate rent cut for the area, Piepsny says.
Tip No. 10: Pay up front. "Cash up front for several months' rent will usually negotiate a nice reduction — but check out that the landlord really owns the building (not, say, his identical twin brother) before you pay up in cash," says author Henderson. But first, check whether your credit-card company has buyer protection, and use a credit card if possible, Henderson says. Why? Say the roof leaks and you have to move out for a few months that you've already paid for - a credit-card company can help you recover your money from a balky landlord.
Tip No. 11: Pay early — every month. "A landlord has got to pay bills, so they need cash flow," says John Fisher, director of TenantNet, an advice site for New York-based renters. Suggest paying the rent two weeks early each month in exchange for a discount. "Maybe they'd be willing to take a couple of (percentage) points off," Fisher says. "It all depends on the market, that's what it really boils down to."
Tip No. 12: Go easy on the repairs. Landlords will do repairs and upgrades — sometimes minor, sometimes major — to apartments. State laws even mandate how often some improvements have to be made. (Find some links here, or check with your state's tenants' rights group.) One way to shave some money on rent is to tell the landlord that that lime-green shag carpet still looks fine to you, and you'd be happy to live with it for another year if he'd knock, oh, 50 bucks from the monthly rent, Bencken says.
Tip No. 13: Take aim at pet rent. Some apartment complexes charge an additional rent for owners of pets, on the assumption that the unit will undergo more damage. If you've lived there for a year, have an exceedingly mellow and clean pet and are hoping to renew, that could be negotiable, Bencken says. Ask the manager to do a walk-through of the apartment with you, to show the manager that Fluffy isn't doing anything that would require additional rent. This isn't foolproof, but "it would be worth a try," Bencken says.
Tip No. 14: Lobby for an upgrade. "If nothing else works," Bencken says, "ask for a new appliance or a larger repair" for your apartment. This doesn't always work, because some complexes replace appliances on a fixed schedule. But it would at least improve your living situation. "They want you to stay, and if they can give you something — if not lowered rent, then something else — most managers will try to do that," she says. Another idea: Ask for an EnergyStar appliance — those high-efficiency appliances that will save you money on your energy bill.
Tip No. 15: Make a list; check it twice for savings. Make a list of all the ways you spend your money around the apartment complex: Parking. Bundled cable TV. Other services. Maybe an in-house gym. Ask yourself what you really want and use, and ask to have the others removed from your monthly bill. Get creative with your savings strategies: Some auto insurers offer discounts for covered parking; if you're parking in an open-air lot and you know there are spaces available in the underground lot, ask to be upgraded there, free, as part of your lease renewal.
When you incorporate several of these tips, don't be surprised if you save at least a hundred bucks a month — and maybe much more.
