If a flat is advertised at £775 pcm to rent ...

[ShadyPot]

would it be reasonable to offer say £675 pcm? Or £700 pcm? I've heard people are doing things like this, but would like to know if actually it is quite unrealistic.
Do any landlords or tenants have any advice for me? (p.s. I'm not the potential tenant, asking for someone else).

My current rental was up for £795 but I knew by researching other similar rentals it was way overpriced.
I offered £720 which was accepted. I've been here 2 yrs now and the rent is now £775

People don't ususally haggle over rental prices but there isn't anything to stop you from asking.

Nothing to stop you asking.
I wouldn’t offer up months of rent in advance as if there’s any issues with the flat you have no bargaining power.
I personally think your offer sounds too low but it’s a starting point

If you can pay for six months in advance.....it would make me wonder why you want the reduction if that makes sense. I’d understand if it was someone who had a volatile work environment at the moment but a discount for discount sake would make me wary to rent to you, especially 100 quid. I’d try 50 if you really want to but once you’ve tried it does mark you out as a bit cheeky and possible trouble later down the line.

We did this. The property had been on the market for some time and was on at £1100 pcm. We asked if the landlord would accept £1000, based on the fact that the garden needed a lot of work. They actually said they would get someone in to do the garden, and would accept £1050.

It wasn’t that we couldn’t afford to pay it, more that the rent was a bit higher than other similar properties, plus we figured it had been sitting empty for over six months and the LL would be losing £££. Five years on we’re still here, so it paid off for everyone!

Not seriously considering offering £100 pcm less - as per my OP, I was asking if it was reasonable or not. Clearly it is too much of a reduction!

Can definitely pay 6 months in advance.
That's not necessarily a positive. Isn't it what people intending to run cannabis farms do?

Oh dear

A price is what somebody is willing and able to afford.

As you will have seen, there's nothing stopping landlords demanding high prices or, as the expression goes "charging what the market will bear."

Equalling there is nothing to stop tenants offering low ones.

But it will not work if somebody else is willing and able to pay more.

A market price will eventually be arrived at.

But I have just spent the last 45 minutes on spareroom looking at rooms to rent. There are lots of decent ones in nice parts of London for rent

Sorry, totally wrong thread.

I've made offers on flats that had been on the market for a while, and had some accepted, and some declined.

I've booked same-day viewings on some flats that have been snapped up before I've had the chance to even pick the keys up, and clearly nobody was accepting offers in that market. It totally depends on how desperate the LL is to get a tenant in.

Oh and it also depends on how desirable a tenant you are! We emigrated and had no credit history, and no references (previously owned our own home in the UK, never rented in New Place before). And we had a child at the "messy toddler" stage of development.

So yeah, despite both of us having good jobs etc, landlords were not biting our hands off, back then.

I once negotiated a discount on a flat that had been empty a little while because other people didn't want to live at no.13! I'm not superstitious so was happy to take it!

I rent out a flat and whenever it’s remarketed the estate agent suggests marketing at x to achieve 95% of x. So absolutely normal to negotiate, although £100 off I agree is probably unlikely. On the other hand it sounds like in some areas it’s not the done thing at all.

I’d sound out the agents about whether the landlord would be open to negotiation. I think they will give you a realistic assessment. An empty property isn’t making money for anyone.

I got £50 a month off mine, I asked for £100 and we met half way. But mine was billed at £1200 - I wouldn’t that cheeky if the rent was £775 to start with! I’d try for £725 or £750 but be willing to pay the full amount,

I've done it before. I offered £100 less plus they let me have my cat . I had previously been rejected because of the cat and then, for some unknown reason (it was a really nice flat in a nice area and average rent) they couldn't let it. I was then called about 6 weeks later asking if I was still interested, I said yes but only if £100 less and they accept pets. I left after a year though as the LL was a pita.

I negotiated our rent when we moved in (advertised at £850 offered £775) I think because we planned to be long term rental and the owners didn’t have a mortgage on the place, also the flat had an old kitchen, bathroom wasn’t anything special and wood chip on the walls! We ready to move in quickly etc. We stayed eventually for 6 years with the usual yearly increase.

The only frustration was it got tired - we moved out and the owners put a new kitchen, bathroom, carpets, double glazing etc as the estate agent said they would have to do it to get any decent rent! It went for £1100

We price our legs at the right level so would not expect to accept a reduction. We have always had more than one prospective tenant so could charge more but the right tenant is important. Ie we won't accept anyone with animals etc and they need to have a high standard of references etc.