Month: January 2022

So, you’ve finally found a place you’re comfortable with. The neighborhood is good, no leaking pipes and no creepy noise are coming from the walls at night, and just when you thought it couldn’t get any better than this, it’s already that time of the year when the landlord wants to raise the rent, potentially threatening your idea of settling down for a bit. Now that will make you think about how to negotiate the next rent rise so you can still retain your property while spending less on rent each month.

But don’t worry. Not everything has to be sad and gloomy as long as you can still try negotiating your terms with the landlord. It’s possible to reach a mutual agreement and negotiate a win-win situation for both parties, so nobody is left unsatisfied. In reality, it works like any other negotiation – you just have to find a way that makes both you and your landlord happy.

Once you begin to consider what both parties have to win or lose, it becomes a much simpler process. Of course, you want to pay less but to avoid moving out and looking for another property. At the same time, the landlord wants more money but to avoid looking for a new tenant. With that in mind, you can present an offer that suits both of you and settle on a reasonable rent amount.

If you don’t know how much to offer for a property like yours, there are two ways you can find that out, which we will discuss further. Try these methods that can help you with your negotiation. 

When do you negotiate?

There are two ways you can approach this.

• You could speak to a local estate agent and see what similar properties in the area are letting for and also find out what their fees will be for finding a new tenant for the landlord. Divide the agent’s fees by 12 and then ask the landlord if they would reduce the current market rent by this divided amount as he will not have to pay the agent’s fees if he retains you as a tenant.
• You could look on websites like Rightmove and Zoopla and see what similar properties are letting for and offer this amount to the landlord.

At this point, they would either agree to your terms or present you with their own offer, which you can compare with your valuation of the property.

RICS Valuation

Open up a dialogue as soon as you can

It is a good idea to establish direct contact with the landlord and work out a deal that works for both of you. Start discussing your terms early on because the earlier you begin a conversation, the more time you have to convince the landlord in your favor. Get in touch with them directly and try something like, “I would love to continue staying in the apartment, but the increase in the rent is a bit outside of my budget at the moment. Can we discuss this and find something that makes us both happy?” This can open up your opportunity to discuss your terms with the landlord.

Establishing contact with the landlord before you start to look for another property will open up a discussion and will give the landlord an idea of the kind of rent that you have in mind. Depending on their response, you can judge whether they are willing to bend or not. This can help you further down the line when finalizing the deal.

So, consider your budget, what exactly you can afford, and how far you’re willing to go to turn the deal in your favor.

The surveyor will undertake a physical inspection of the house. Before the physical inspection’s they investigate the location and analyze the local area to see if anything night influences the value. After this, they may check any documents regarding the lease extensions or any shared ownership details if necessary. They may also make inquiries with local selling agents before they arrive at their valuation.