How to Deal With a Rent Increase in My Apartment
When your rent goes up, which it usually will do after a period of time, you may look for ways to cut expenses in other areas of your budget. Rent is not cheap, and an increase can sting, especially in a down economy. If you're a landlord, raising the rent is usually necessary to keep up with the increased costs of doing business. While an increase may be inevitable, it must be handled lawfully. Depending upon what side of the increase you're on, you have a few options when the end of the rental period comes around.
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Instructions
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If You're the Landlord
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Check the laws for your state that dictate how much notice you must give a tenant to increase the rent. Research local laws to ensure that rent control does not exist in your area. Put your rent increase in writing and give it to the tenant with the minimum notice required for your state, anywhere from 30 to 60 days. Alternatively, raise the rent at the end of the lease agreement.
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2
Be prepared to re-rent the unit if then tenant doesn't want to pay the increase. The tenant must move before the first day of the rent increase. This approach works for tenants who are on a month-to-month agreement.
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Deliver the news personally to the tenant, especially if the tenant has been in your rental for a long time. Be honest about the reason for the increase. Tell the tenant you don't want to increase the rent, but must do so because your expenses have increased. If you haven't raised the rent on a longtime tenant, remind the tenant of the time that has elapsed without an increase.
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Negotiate with the tenant if you want to keep her in the unit. If it's not financially possible, be firm but professional in your approach.
If You're the Tenant
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5
Read your lease or rental agreement. If you have signed a month-to-month agreement, in some cities, your landlord can raise the rent after the month is up. In some areas, if you signed a one-year lease, the landlord can raise the rent only when the lease expires.
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Note the date on the letter of increase. In most states, the landlord must give you at least 30 days' notice of an increase. If you have a lease, some landlords may notify you two months in advance.
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Check with your city or township to see whether your rental unit is under rent control. If it is, your landlord must abide by the law and may be restricted to the amount of rent increase.
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Negotiate with your landlord. If you have been a good tenant, remind him how well you have kept up the place. If you have been a problematic tenant, however, this argument probably won't work with the landlord.
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Look for another place if the rent increase will not work in your budget, then move out before the date when the rent increase takes effect, usually the first of the month.
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