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fun with landlords
so a few weeks ago, i was on my way out of the building, and as i passed by my downstairs neighbor's door, a memo that had been tucked behind the doorknob fell to the floor. naturally, i picked it up to put it back, but as i did so, something in the re: line caught my eye: the words rent special, actually. so i read the memo before i put it back behind the neighbor's doorknob. harmless thing to do, really.
it turns out that this neighbor hadn't yet renewed her lease for next year (her current lease will, i expect, be up within a couple weeks of either may 31 or july 31). and as an incentive to renew, the management company was offering all tenants who hadn't yet renewed a special deal: come in before the end of april, and renew their leases with no increase in rent.
now, these guys had been around in january with memos about how we needed to renew our leases within something (ridiculous) like three weeks, or they'd start showing the place to prospective tenants. my lease is up august 13, but i renewed january 20, because i preferred not to have them show my apartment as i'll still be living here. the monthly rent under the new lease is $20 more than under the current lease. i didn't make a fuss at the time, because rent does increase -- everybody knows that.
but now -- now, you'd better believe i'm making a fuss. here's the note i sent to the property manager:
and here's his reply:
and, finally, here's my latest response:
it turns out that this neighbor hadn't yet renewed her lease for next year (her current lease will, i expect, be up within a couple weeks of either may 31 or july 31). and as an incentive to renew, the management company was offering all tenants who hadn't yet renewed a special deal: come in before the end of april, and renew their leases with no increase in rent.
now, these guys had been around in january with memos about how we needed to renew our leases within something (ridiculous) like three weeks, or they'd start showing the place to prospective tenants. my lease is up august 13, but i renewed january 20, because i preferred not to have them show my apartment as i'll still be living here. the monthly rent under the new lease is $20 more than under the current lease. i didn't make a fuss at the time, because rent does increase -- everybody knows that.
but now -- now, you'd better believe i'm making a fuss. here's the note i sent to the property manager:
A couple of weeks ago, it came to my attention that tenants who have not yet renewed their leases are (or were) being offered the opportunity to do so with no increase in rent, if they renew by some date -- what was it, the end of April? I'm sure you have to offer some incentive to rent a place, if people haven't renewed and you haven't been able to rent it to a new tenant, but at the same time, that feels a lot like a penalty on those of us who did timely renew in January when we got the first preliminary note under the door. Whom can I speak to about re-negotiating my lease at the same rent I'm currently paying?
and here's his reply:
As for the issue pertaining to the lease renewal, I don't know if I can help you. We decided to offer a special, something that we have never done to my knowledge, in an effort to promote renewals that haven't come in. Our intention was not to penalize residents who decided in February to renew with us. We simply looked at the number of renewals this year and decided to make an effort to increase that number. If you would like to schedule a time to sit down and discuss your renewal, feel free to call and we can.
and, finally, here's my latest response:
I appreciate that this wasn't your intention, but the result is that this is what's happened. A sound business practice would have been, when you decided to offer that special to tenants who had not yet renewed, to retroactively make the same offer to those of us who already had.
If you can't help me get this sorted out, perhaps you can put me in touch with someone who can? I'll be busy with finals through May 8, but either that afternoon or any time on the 9th, I'd be glad to meet with whomever is authorized to re-draw my lease and the leases of others who've renewed for next year.
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which is fine, because i would have renewed anyway. but i wouldn't have done it before the end of april, i bet, particularly if i knew i'd get a break in the rent for holding out.
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