Can you negotiate rent?
What you can do when your landlord announces an increase
It’s a familiar scenario. It’s time to renew your lease when your landlord announces your rent is going up – again. You love your home. Moving is expensive. You either have to find somewhere less expensive or agree to pay more. There’s not another option, right?
There might be. You have the power to try negotiating your rent. Your city likely also has a fair rent commission that is supposed to step in if your landlord hits you with an unreasonably high increase.
You deserve to stay in the community you love with the neighbors and schools you’re close to. There are ways to advocate for yourself. Remember, it’s in your landlord’s best interest to have someone living in the unit. When you move, they’re forced to spend time and money finding a new tenant. They’re also losing money when no one is living there.
Here are two options you can look into if your landlord raises your rent:
Negotiate it yourself
You have the right to try to negotiate your rent. This can be intimidating, and the power dynamics between a landlord and renter can be hard. But if you are in a safe position to try, it can be worth trying to negotiate your rent.
Your landlord needs a tenant to make a profit. They have to spend money and time looking for a new tenant if you move. Every day that the apartment or house is empty is lost rent.
Remind your landlord that it’s in their best interest for you to renew your lease. Have a clear ask for what you think your rent should be. Research what rent is in your area for units of the same size, and point out if the new rent is higher than what you found.
Emphasize why you’re a great tenant. Mention if you always pay your rent on time or have lived in the same home for a long time. There are sample letters and templates online that have more advice on how to outline your argument and what points you can bring up.
Try to make your argument as soon as possible, rather than right when your lease is up or new rent is due. You can have the conversation with your landlord in person, but make sure to write a letter or email to have proof that you asked. If necessary, you can also use this to show a local fair rent commission that you’ve tried to negotiate with your landlord.
Complain to your local fair rent commission
Fair rent commissions decide if a rent increase is considered “unreasonable.” You can write the commission if you think your rent has gone up too much. The commissions can also step in if your landlord is refusing to make necessary repairs.
The commission may hold a public hearing about your case. You don’t need a lawyer to file or have your case heard. The commission may order your landlord to decrease the planned rent hike or phase it in. It can also decrease your current rent or pause the planned increase until the landlord makes repairs.
There are several things a fair rent commission looks at to make its decision. Those include if your rent is similar to other apartments in your area, if your unit is considered “healthy”, how large your unit is, if you can afford other apartments, how much your landlord has already increased your rent, and if your landlord will use the extra money to improve the building, among others.
Dozens of towns and cities in Connecticut have fair rent commissions. It’s actually required for many of them. Most of the state’s largest cities like Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford, Stamford, and Waterbury have one. The state has a list online, but keep in mind that not every fair rent commission in the state is included on the list. Check with your town to see if there’s one in your area.
Keep paying your rent while the commission is waiting to rule on your case. If not, your landlord can evict you. In some cases, you will pay your rent to someone other than your landlord (like a court) until the commission has made a decision.
Does Connecticut have laws about rent increases?
It depends on who you are. Certain people are somewhat protected from big rent hikes because of their age or if they have a disability. However, many renters aren’t shielded from what’s considered a “no cause” eviction. This happens when your landlord evicts you without a good reason. Currently in Connecticut, you can be evicted even if you always pay your rent on time and follow the conditions in your lease, although there are efforts underway to change that.
State laws allow for what it calls a “reasonable” rent increase. However, there’s not a number attached to that definition. It’s up to a fair rent commission to decide if a rent hike is considered reasonable or not.
There are no laws preventing your landlord from raising your rent when your lease is up for renewal. They must tell you at least 45 days before your lease ends if they will increase the rent. If you’re on a month-to-month lease, then they have one month. They cannot increase your rent in the middle of your lease unless your lease states they can.
Landlords aren’t allowed to raise your rent or take away your utilities if you’ve joined a tenants’ union in the last six months; have made a complaint to the housing department, housing code office, or a fair rent commission; or filed a court case because serious issues like broken appliances aren’t being fixed.
Fixing the affordable housing crisis
Housing is a human right. As rent goes up, it’s becoming harder to find an affordable, safe place to live. Everyone deserves a place to call home, no matter what their zip code is. The housing crisis took a long time to create, and it will take work to solve it. Together with people across the state, though, we are working to make sure everyone has an affordable, safe place to call home.
There are things you can do now to help make that happen:https://tcpactionfund.org/renters-rights-action-center
- Join your community chapter