Rent Too High During Tough Times? Write This Letter To Lower It

Even though most never do it, you can negotiate with your landlord to lower your rent even after you’ve signed a lease. The best time to send this letter is a month or two before your lease ends, but you can also write it when you feel like you’ll have trouble paying the full rent amount.

Is there a sample letter to lower the rent that you can use as a guide? Yes, there is, and you’ll find it below.

Feel free to change it up to your liking and style, and remember that the more details and arguments you include in your favor (such as research on lower rents and vacancies in the area), the better. Even if your landlord rejects your request, at least you tried.

Sample Lower Rent Letter to the Landlord

[Your name]

[Your street address and house/apartment number]

[Your city, state, and zip code]

[Date]

[Name of the landlord or property management company]

[The address listed on your lease]

[Their city, state, and zip code]

Re: Request to Reduce Monthly Rent Payment

Dear [Mr./Mrs. Landlord’s name],

I am contacting you to discuss the possibility of lowering my rent payment. I enjoy living in the unit, but I’ve been having financial issues lately, and a small reduction in rent would help a great deal.

[Discuss your financial issues like getting laid off, a reduction in income, medical bills, etc. in more detail here.]

Being a reliable and responsible tenant is very important to me. I believe I’ve shown this by [discuss how you’ve been a good tenant, either by paying your rent on time, keeping the property in good shape, being a good neighbor, and so on].

After doing some research on local rents, I believe that a small reduction in my monthly payment is reasonable compared to what others in the neighborhood are paying. I know this by asking them firsthand.

I am asking for a [dollar amount] reduction in my monthly rent, which keeps it in line with the neighborhood average. This reduction would help me continue living in the property, and would also provide you with several benefits.

A vacancy comes with several hassles that can be time-consuming and costly, such as listing the property, repairing and preparing it for a new tenant, processing applications, background checks, and more. Through a simple reduction in my rent, you could avoid all of these issues and not have to worry about losing rental income until the property is filled once again.

Please let me know if there is something I could do for you to make this arrangement possible, such as signing a longer lease or increasing my security deposit. And if you would like to discuss this in person, I am available to do so whenever you’re free.

Thank you,

[Your name]

[Your signature]

[Your address]

[Your phone number]

[Your email address]