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Negotiating Rent

Hi everyone,
Me and my fiancee are getting out first flat together and have found one we really like for which the landlord is asking for £370 a month.
This is a little expensive for a one bedroom flat in the area we've chosen so I have just phoned the agency and offered £320. Do you think this is too little?

I don't want to seem cheeky but this is our first flat and we want to keep costs down as much as possible.
I'm afraid she'll take offence and not offer us the flat at all! Do you think that'll happen?

I'm worried now, just waiting for the agency to call back :P
Any advice is much appreciated!

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Anybody??

Original post by xStaceyy

Anybody??

If that was my Dad he would refuse outright, he has asked for £370, he can find other tenants. I would rather have it empty.

Reply 3

xStaceyy

Original post by meenu89

If that was my Dad he would refuse outright, he has asked for £370, he can find other tenants. I would rather have it empty.

I'm not really expecting her to accept the offer but will she give me a counter offer?
The flats been empty for 3 months so the landlord has lost over 1k leaving it empty so far

Reply 4

meenu89

Original post by xStaceyy

I'm not really expecting her to accept the offer but will she give me a counter offer?
The flats been empty for 3 months so the landlord has lost over 1k leaving it empty so far

I can only go by what my Dad would do. He wouldn't give any counter offer.

Reply 5

HmMusic

The thing is, renting is an absolute competitive minefield, and there are often dozens of other tenants looking at the same place. If there is literally nobody else interested you would be very lucky. The landlord will most likely go with the highest offer, and there will be people who are willing to pay the asking price.

Having said that, you may be lucky! I don't know your area, obviously, but it sounds cheap compared to mine. I know how much prices can vary though, so that statement may not really be relevant! If you fall in love with a place that much but have a strict budget then perhaps make a list of everything you are looking for in a flat, and stick to it? If you want to spend no more than x amount then only look at properties that are below that amount - that way you cannot be tempted by cheaper ones and both you and the landlord will be happy. There are always hundreds of properties to look at and new places come on the market daily, so you may surprise yourself with what you can find.

Above all, keep looking, and don't be disheartened if someone else beats you to it! My boyfriend and I looked at about 15 places before finding our previous flat, but the one we are in now was only the second one we looked at.

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Reply 6

HmMusic

Original post by xStaceyy

I'm not really expecting her to accept the offer but will she give me a counter offer?
The flats been empty for 3 months so the landlord has lost over 1k leaving it empty so far

If this is the case you may be lucky. Previous advice was from my own personal experience so take it with a pinch of salt if it doesn't apply to you! :-)

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(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 7

Naami

That seems like an alright price to begin with if it's a self contained flat and no other tenants are living with you guys.

Reply 8

xoxAngel_Kxox

If you're in an area where people struggle to rent those type of properties then they may accept your offer, but if they expect to rent it, and it's around that price in the rest of the area, then they will probably wait until they find someone who is willing to pay the full price.

Reply 9

xStaceyy

Original post by HmMusic

...

Thanks for your advice! The area is pretty cheap usually and we saw another flat for £320 which got snapped up pretty quickly :frown:

Just keep my fingers crossed!

Original post by meenu89

I can only go by what my Dad would do. He wouldn't give any counter offer.

Ok, thanks for your help. So would he just say no and then not accept any other offers from that person? As I said, I am willing to increase my offer but I want to save as much money as possible :P

Reply 10

HmMusic

Original post by xStaceyy

Thanks for your advice! The area is pretty cheap usually and we saw another flat for £320 which got snapped up pretty quickly :frown:

Just keep my fingers crossed!

Good luck! Hope you can find what you are looking for!

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 11

Trigger

Where on earth do you live? In Bristol a one bed flat starts at £500 easy.

Reply 12

xStaceyy

Original post by Naami

That seems like an alright price to begin with if it's a self contained flat and no other tenants are living with you guys.

Yeah I thought it was a decent price but my mum and dad think its pretty expensive so they want me to haggle a bit :P
Plus I'd rather see how cheap I can get it before I just accept the offer cause its our first flat and I'm still a full-time student x

Reply 13

xStaceyy

Original post by Trigger

Where on earth do you live? In Bristol a one bed flat starts at £500 easy.

Yeah I live in the West of Scotland so we're much cheaper here for some reason :dontknow:

Reply 14

HmMusic

No wonder! I live on the South coast of England, and my 2 bed maisonette with my partner is £695, which is incredibly cheap for what it is. Mind you apparently Bournemouth & Poole is one of the most expensive places in the country proportionate to income!

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Reply 15

meenu89

Original post by xStaceyy

Thanks for your advice! The area is pretty cheap usually and we saw another flat for £320 which got snapped up pretty quickly :frown:

Just keep my fingers crossed!

Ok, thanks for your help. So would he just say no and then not accept any other offers from that person? As I said, I am willing to increase my offer but I want to save as much money as possible :P

Another thing is that none of our properties have mortgages on them, so he would wait for someone to accept £370.

Reply 16

xStaceyy

She didn't accept £320 but offered £355 and we accepted it :smile:

We have a flat!

Reply 17

AlexandrTheGreat

Original post by xStaceyy

What are you talking about? £370 / month is an absolute bargain, I pay double that.

This isn't a bazaar or your local ****ty market. But if you don't want to pay £370 then say it and offer him. The worst he can do is refuse.