{"id":113,"date":"2018-06-08T08:25:07","date_gmt":"2018-06-08T08:25:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.idealflatmate.co.uk\/flatmate-HQ\/?p=113"},"modified":"2023-02-16T12:13:30","modified_gmt":"2023-02-16T12:13:30","slug":"the-ultimate-guide-to-negotiating-your-rent-to-save-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/flatmate-HQ\/the-ultimate-guide-to-negotiating-your-rent-to-save-money\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ultimate Guide to Negotiating Your Rent To Save Money"},"content":{"rendered":"

What a lot of people don\u2019t realize is that rent prices aren\u2019t fixed: there are a number of tactics you can use to negotiate yourself a better deal. In fact, a lot of landlords and letting agents start by listing their properties at higher prices than they\u2019d accept, in anticipation of having it negotiated.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

At the end of the day, if you don\u2019t ask you don\u2019t get. But there are distinct ways to go about this. If you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about, it\u2019s simply not going to work; if you come out looking cheeky, and antagonize your landlord \u2013 heck \u2013 you might even end up landing yourself a worse deal. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Be rational, be polite, and most importantly, be <\/span>specific<\/span><\/b>. You can\u2019t just rock up and say the place is too expensive, hoping the landlord will read your mind and offer you a more attractive number. Come up with your own weekly or monthly figure: if you\u2019re dealing with a proposed rate of \u00a3700 a month, say, \u2018I\u2019ll take the flat for X months at \u00a3600\u00a0 a month\u2019. (They might not agree off the bat, but that\u2019s where the haggling begins).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Semantics alone, of course, <\/span>aren\u2019t<\/span> enough. You need to build a strong, convincing argument to support your case: that\u2019s what the bulk of this article will help you with.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Understand the difference between disputing and negotiating your rent<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n

Disputing your rent<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/h3>\n

If you think your rent is outright unjust, and none of the tips in this article can make your landlord budge, you can\u00a0<\/span>apply to a tribunal<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to open a dispute in certain circumstances. There are <\/span>rules<\/span><\/a> for how and when your landlord can propose rent increases, so if you think these aren\u2019t being abided by, you should think about applying.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If it\u2019s a <\/span>rent increase<\/span><\/b> you want to dispute, you can only apply to the tribunal if:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n