How to Negotiate Rent

Whether you're searching for a new place or planning to renew your current lease, you might have more negotiating power than you realize.

That’s because the rental market has seen some big changes over the past year that are, in some cases, giving renters room to bargain. Across the U.S., more renters are choosing to stay in their current lease, while more rental units have come on the market. This all adds up to lower demand for the available rentals in nearly all of the 50 major U.S. metros we analyzed. 

Moreover, Zillow research finds that a record-setting two in five rental listings on Zillow offered some form of concession — either a rent reduction or another type of discount or incentive — in December 2024. And they appear to have staying power: Their number increased in 48 of the 50 largest U.S. metros over the past year.

Of course, the possibility of successfully negotiating a lower rent can depend on several things, including the condition of the rental, the length of time the home has been vacant, the landlord’s needs, and rent trends in your area. 

Here are tips on how to bargain for lower rent, plus a script template to help you prepare.

Prepare to show why you’re a good tenant

Landlords want good tenants who pay their rent on time, maintain the rental, alert them to issues before they become major problems, and don’t cause trouble with other renters or neighbors. If you’re able to offer all of those things, you’ll have more negotiating power. (Zillow research found that half of the renters who did not experience a rent increase in 2024 cited their landlord’s desire for renter stability as the main reason.)

If you’re that person, evidenced by your previous rental experience, offer references who can vouch for you. Letters from previous landlords attesting to your strengths as a tenant can go a long way. Include contact information so the landlord can follow up with any questions they might have.

If you’ve never rented before, you can include references from work or school or activities like sports, clubs, or people outside your family who know you well. Include contact information so the landlord can follow up with them. Be sure to give your references a head’s up that someone will be contacting them to check your references.

Hoping to renew your lease? Consider offering your landlord a walk-through or taking photos or videos to show how you’ve cared for their property. Rather than take a chance on someone who might not be as responsible, your landlord may be willing to either hold the line on rent.

Maintain a good credit score

Having a good credit score can help, too, so make sure yours is in the best possible shape before you apply. If you know you’re going to be looking for a new place in the future, take steps to improve your credit score so the landlord has confidence in your ability and/or willingness to pay bills on time.

If you have a low credit score, or don’t yet have a credit history built up, you could arrange for someone with a high credit score to co-sign the lease as additional assurance to the landlord while you work to establish or improve your credit score and build a rental history. 

Research the market

To make the most credible case for a rent reduction or other concessions, research rent trends in your neighborhood and current rents in your present or future apartment building.

There are several ways to do this: 

Get an overview of the rental landscape 

Zillow publishes data on rental prices in the nation’s 100 largest metros, including the median rent — the point at which half of the rentals cost more and half cost less. The information also covers growth (or decline) in rent prices from a year earlier, vacancy rates and the share of rental listings on Zillow that have concessions. With the data, you’ll be able to see whether the share of listings offering concessions are climbing or falling and what the general demand has been for rentals in that metro. 

Markets with few vacancies and declining concessions are likely to favor landlords. The opposite is true of markets with larger vacancy rates and a large share of concessions. The data can help you gauge the market at large and how much bargaining power you might have given the overall demand for rentals. 

Check out comparable rental listings 

Make note of whether utilities are included, the number of bedrooms and baths, the size of the home, the condition and amenities included in the rent so you can make direct comparisons. For instance, if you’re looking for a 1-bedroom apartment that includes parking and a gym, be sure the units you’re comparing it to line up along similar lines. Save links to these listings so you can share them with the landlord to make your case.

If you’re hoping to get lower rent for the rental where you currently reside, make sure the comparables are in the same neighborhood. If you’re considering a specific apartment building, check out what other units there are renting for and whether the property manager is offering concessions, such as one month’s free rent or free parking.

Look for rentals that have been sitting on the market 

You could also consider units that have been on the market for a while. Most Zillow rental listings include the amount of time the unit has been advertised, the number of times the listing agent has been contacted about the property, and the number of applications that have been submitted through Zillow. If there’s not much activity around a property that’s been listed for a month or more, that could indicate an opportunity to negotiate.If you’re searching outside of Zillow, ask whether the landlord, property manager or broker has any pending applications.

It’s also generally a good idea to know how much rent you can afford so you know how much room you have to negotiate. You can do that with Zillow’s Rent Affordability Calculator.

Offer to sign a longer lease

Signing a lease for two years instead of one means the landlord can count on greater stability and won’t have to worry about finding and vetting a new tenant. You also could offer to adjust the lease term so that your lease ends during a time of year when it’s easier to fill an empty unit. For example, if you signed a one-year lease on an apartment in upstate New York in the dead of winter, you could offer to sign a renewal lease that expires in the summer, peak moving season when it would be easier for your landlord to find a new tenant.

Find out what you can offer beyond rent 

You might be able to negotiate reduced rent or other perks in exchange for your labor and skills. Depending on the property, the landlord may appreciate help with yard work or maintenance. Or maybe their website could use a refresh or better photos. Ask what they need that you might be able to help with. This tactic is likely to be more appealing to small apartment buildings or single family homes rather than larger complexes that are usually professionally managed.

Ask for money-saving perks

Even if your landlord won’t budge on rent, you have other options for lowering your overall rental costs or getting better value. Ask the landlord whether they’ll offer discounts or credits such as free or reduced parking, a utility credit, free wi-fi or elimination of pet fees. If you’re in an apartment building with amenities, consider asking your landlord to waive any amenity fees. If you live in a locale where the use of brokers is common, check to see whether there’s a broker’s fee involved. If so, you could ask the landlord to cover the broker’s fee as a concession. 

Start the conversation early

Give your landlord time to consider your arguments and the research you’ve conducted instead of springing it on them at the last minute. That’s likely to result in a better conversation and a better result. Also consider the time of year you’ll be having the conversation. Negotiating in the winter — a slow time for moving — could give you more bargaining power than broaching the subject in the summer, when more renters are moving.

Once you’ve struck an agreement with the landlord, terms of the agreement should be in writing and incorporated into the new lease. Good luck!

How to ask for lower rent

To help frame up your negotiation — whether it’s via email or in person, here’s a script to get you started: