I’ve been dealing with this for years now since my apartment complex was bought by new owners(multiple times now). Every time I renew the lease they want to raise the price $100+ ($300+ during covid). I always try to negotiate by saying I’ve lived there many years with no problems, paid rent on time, etc. Unfortunately I’m only even allowed to speak to the local office manager who is either powerless or pretends to be and doesn’t even pretend to be sympathetic.
Meanwhile, they aren’t even keeping their end of the deal up. The pool and hot tub have been drained and in disrepair since January.(I’ll definitely mention this when negotiating this time).
Lastly, moving is not the answer. Practically every apartment complex around here is owned by one of these horrible companies so there’s no escape unless you happen to find something owned by an individual(which has its own problems). I’m also getting a small discount(gets smaller every renewal) for being in an outdated unit so moving would still raise my rate, be a massive hassle, and I’d have to pay a new deposit.
Long term I will buy a house, but how can I save enough when they gouge me at every turn?
Are you a member of a tenant union, is that even a thing in your country ? When you’re dealing with an individual landlord, a “strongly worded letter” or a “I’ve been doing my part” is enough to get somewhere. With corporation having a huge team it doesn’t work, you need the legal power of a collective.
At this point, the best thing to do is to write down to politician and make-sure they implement some form of “rent control” and other tenant protection laws