The renewal letter was tucked into our mailbox on Tuesday, between a pizza flyer and a catalog for someone who moved out years ago. I read it standing in the vestibule of our building. Starting October 1, our rent would go from $1,440 to $1,525. That's $85 more every month, or $1,020 more over the year.
I carried it up three flights feeling a little sick. By Thursday afternoon, we'd agreed with our landlord on $1,480 instead. Here's exactly how that happened, because I spent years assuming rent increases weren't something you could talk about.
Where we were starting from
We moved into this apartment in October 2023 at $1,395. Last year, the renewal raised it to $1,440, which we accepted without saying a word. It was $45, it felt fair, and honestly I didn't know you could respond with anything other than a signature.
This year's jump was almost double that. Before reacting, I wanted to know whether it was in line with what's happening in our neighborhood or whether it was a starting number.
What I did before reaching out
1. Looked at comparable listings
I spent an evening on rental listing sites looking for one-bedrooms within about a ten-minute walk, in older buildings, without in-unit laundry. I found six that were reasonably close to ours. Most were listed between about $1,450 and $1,550. A couple of the higher ones had dishwashers or parking, which we don't have.
So $1,525 wasn't outrageous for the area, but it was at the top of the range for a third-floor walk-up with a basement coin laundry and baseboard heat.
2. Did the math on moving
This was the part that made me feel calmer. When we moved here in 2023, the move itself cost us $640 between the rented van, pizza for the friends who helped, and boxes and supplies. And I got only $410 of my $500 deposit back from my old studio. Moving costs real money, and that's true for the landlord too: an empty unit means lost rent, cleaning, painting and finding someone new.
3. Wrote down why we're good tenants
Not to brag, just to have it straight in my head. We've paid on time every month for two years. We report problems early and don't call about trivial things. We've never had a noise complaint. When the hall light was out last winter, Sam changed the bulb himself.
The email
I kept it short and friendly. Roughly:
Thanks for sending the renewal. We really like living here and would love to stay another year. The proposed increase is more than we budgeted for, and after looking at similar one-bedrooms nearby, we wanted to ask whether you'd consider $1,470. We've always paid on time and taken good care of the unit, and we're happy to sign a full twelve-month lease right away.
That was it. No threats about leaving, no long list of complaints.
The phone call
He called the next afternoon. He said his property taxes and insurance had gone up and he couldn't do $1,470, but he appreciated that we'd been easy to deal with and didn't want to turn the unit over. He offered $1,490. I asked if we could meet at $1,480 if we signed that week. He said yes.
The whole conversation took about six minutes. I was more nervous than the situation called for.
What it means for us
| Monthly | Yearly | |
|---|---|---|
| Original proposal | $1,525 | $18,300 |
| What we signed | $1,480 | $17,760 |
| Difference | $45 | $540 |
We split rent proportionally to our incomes, with me paying 45% and Sam 55%. So my share goes to $666 a month and his to $814. The $540 we saved over the year is about what we'd budgeted for holiday travel, so that felt like a real win.
What I'd keep in mind next time
- Respond quickly and kindly. The landlord isn't the enemy; he's a guy with a 12-unit building and his own bills.
- Bring a specific number. A number backed by a few comparable listings gave us something concrete to talk about.
- Know your own walk-away point. Ours was honestly close to $1,525. Knowing we'd stay either way kept me calm.
- Get it in writing. He sent the updated lease the same evening, and we signed it before the weekend.
Not every landlord will budge, and I know we were lucky to have one who answers his phone. But I'll never again sign a renewal without at least asking. Sam made a celebratory batch of tacos that night, and we ate them on the balcony while it was still warm enough to sit out there.
