Landlord wants to raise your rent? Here are 3 sample emails you can use to negotiate

For many New York City newcomers, renewal notices can come with an unwelcome surprise: A hefty rent increase.

Some renters are shocked that landlords have the ability to ask for such high rents—but that’s how market-rate apartments work. Rent-stabilized apartments, on the other hand, are regulated and when there are increases, they are typically around 2-3 percent.

This year thousands of NYC market-rate tenants gained a new legal right to challenge rent hikes, plus new protections from evictions under the state’s Good Cause eviction law. With this law, a landlord needs a good reason to evict you. If you’re covered, the law gives you the right to challenge a rent increase of above 8.82 percent in court—and more bargaining power when negotiating a lease renewal. 

But there are a lot of exemptions to this law, so if the law doesn't apply to your building, you may need to brush up on your negotiating skills.

Take this note from a shocked renter: “I’ve been living at my current apartment for a year now and my lease ends in four months and my landlord is trying to raise the rent from $2,000 to $2,800. Is that allowed? Is there any way to combat this?” 

[Editor's note: This article was originally published in January 2022. We are presenting it again with new information as part of our winter Best of Brick week.]

That’s a message received by openigloo, a site which has listings and building reviews. Allia Mohamed, co-founder and CEO, says the platform is receiving dozens of messages like this from worried renters—some reporting they are being notified by their landlords to expect rent increases of 50 percent.

In response, Mohamed created three templates that renters can use to respond to a rent increase.

“Some renters have trouble getting the conversation started because negotiating can be an intimidating process,” she says. “We haven’t released something like this before, but our hope is it can give renters a foundation to start rent discussions with their landlords.”

She says negotiating by email is ideal, because it's especially important to have a written record of your correspondence and “having an email template can help you structure your thoughts and argument in a clear way. It’s a way to show your landlord you are calmly approaching the negotiations backed with data.”

Below are openigloo’s sample email templates that you can customize to respond to a rent increase. (They have been changed slightly by Brick.)

When you want to make a counteroffer

Mohamed suggest countering with a specific number (but not the maximum you’d be willing to spend). This way you have some wiggle room if the owner comes back with another offer.

It’s always a good idea to point out you’ve been a great tenant and back up your number with research on what other similar-sized apartments are renting for in the neighborhood. 

Hi XYZ,

Thanks for sending over the renewal. I was surprised by the new rent, because similar #-bedrooms in the area are renting for around $$$$. I understand the market has changed since last year, but given my good standing as a tenant, I’d love to meet somewhere in the middle. Could we make $$$$ work?

Thanks for your consideration.

When you don’t get appropriate notice of an increase

In New York, landlords must give you advance notice before they raise your rent by more than 5 percent or if they are declining to renew your lease—the amount of time depends on how long you’ve lived there.

For example, if you have a one- or two-year lease, an owner needs to give you at least 60-days notice. If you have been there longer, you are entitled to 90-days notice.

If your rent increase does not come with enough notice, and you want to stay in the apartment, Mohamed recommends politely pointing out that you are aware of the rules and give them an opportunity to fix their mistake before escalating your negotiations.

Hi XYZ,

Thanks for sending over the renewal. However, I was expecting the increase to be less than 5 percent, since we’ve passed the XX-day notice window. I’d love to stay, but I’m hoping we can agree on a renewal of $$$$ instead.

Thanks.

When you want to make the first move

When your lease is ending in a few months, you might want to make the first move in order to jumpstart negotiations. Landlords have a harder time filling apartments in winter, so that can give you some leverage. And if you don’t reach an agreement, you buy yourself more time to find a new place.

Hi XYZ,

I hope all is well. I wanted to send a note as my lease is expiring in # months and I’d love to get some clarity on the renewal. I’ve enjoyed my time in this apartment and would love to stay another # years. Given my good standing as a tenant, could we renew at the same rate? Happy to sign a renewal now, if we come to an agreement.

Thanks for your consideration.

Mohamed says it doesn’t hurt to ask to hold the rent at the current rate. At worst, you may hear “no” or a different number. Again, it is important keep things cordial, she says.

There’s always a risk the landlord will not renew the lease at all, so be aware.

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