To bargain with estate agents over rent increase

[Idratherbeaspider]

Renewal coming up soon for our tenancy. Have been here two years. Year contract each time.
Nothing has been improved upon and the flat itself isnt modern at all in terms of expensive storage heaters that barely do anything. Draughty throughout the flat. Bad decor including damage to floors and walls that have been here since before we moved in.
Have now been asked if we want to renew at an increase of £600 per year. No renovations or improvements have been made and the electricity bill if we want to heat the flat or have a bath is horrendous.
Aibu to bargain with them and ask if they’d take lower or is that not the done thing?
This extra £600 would essentially stop me from having a job change this year because I’d be taking self employed position. It would be much better for me as I could spend more than 3 days a month with my DS and DP but as the work isn’t guaranteed I couldn’t risk it with the rent increase so I’m really hoping somehow they’ll take the normal amount. Otherwise we’ll have to leave or stay in my crappy job now!

If your current place is expensive to run and in poor condition are you not better leaving? Can you get something better for the £600 increase or something in a slightly different area for less?

As a landlord (to one property) my tenants tried that with me earlier this year. They have been good tenants, I have always had everything fixed when they asked. So I was happy to accept their lower offer to keep a good relationship with them, even though rents have gone up in the local area.

However if they try it again next year I would have to refuse, I still have to pay the mortgage etc on it.

You should look at how the market is in your area, if you were to move how much rent would you be paying for a similar property. Market is soft in certain areas and rents have come down in some places so you should see what is out there and counter offer. Was the property in good condition when you moved in? Just because the property hasn’t been decorated in a while it doesn’t mean the rent will come down.

Have you got an EPC for your place as the law changed in April about the ratings of your place is that bad they might not be able to renew. When you have all the information counter offer, and you might be in a position to ask to pay less

DP Works in property himself so hopefully he can help with prices and the energy rating is bad but not lower than an E.
It was in poor condition so it was put up at a similar price but we offered slightly lower and it was accepted.
I don’t want to put my landlord out but any new people will be demanding better heating for the price they want. It’s the same storage heaters from when the flat was built in the 60s 😬 they’re useless and expensive to run. We don’t have many options as everywhere else nearby is brand new and far more expensive due to being in far better condition.

First, do you actually want a new 1 year contract, there's very little reason to, so the start is "we're happy for it to roll over under the current terms", ideally you want to wait until near the end of the contract to do that if you've not already been given a section 21 notice, as then the landlord won't know if you're just going to leave at the end of the contract or stay there, which obviously gives them a very weak negotiating hand - if you leave they're immediately down at least a months rent, probably more unless they get very lucky letting it out - which is way more than they make out of the rent increase.

Even if you do sign up for the extra year, of course you can negotiate, indeed you should always negotiate, never accept what they suggest, it is obviously their starting point...

We did this-tried to negotiate a smaller increase. no one at the estate agency got back to us. When we chased a response (as the landlords would be expecting a higher rent payment that month) & asked that they fix a tap that had been leaking for the last 2.5 years, we got served our 2 months notice.

I would first of all say you want it to roll onto a periodic and not anew contract. Agents dish out new contracts to protect the landlord interest and to charge you fees, no other reason. If it rolls to a periodic you don't pay a fee as it basically means you keep the contract you have.

And £600 a year is a pretty hefty rent hike. I'd personally say that's too much but you're prepared to increase £300 and state the things wrong with house to reason for this. Be prepared to either pay more or to move if they say no.

I've never understood landlords who shove the rent up each year by lots if they have a decent tenant in place.

Thank you. Our argument is nothing has got better in the flat and we haven’t had a pay increase. affording it is going to be tough