Rent, rent, rent...

[mickey]

So I rent (e not a. occasionally a, as I do now). Year after year my landlord uses the following [extortionate] tactics. What's my best response?

Here's their tactics:
1. Serve a notice to vacate the premises in 2 months.
2. Tell me that the notice will be revoked if I agree to a 10% increase in rent no later than within next 30 days, else the notice is enforced.

I kind of like the area. My best move is [...fill in the blank...]

[northernladuk]

Option 1) Take it and pay up

Option 2) Tell him to stuff it, you aint paying a penny more and walk. See if he caves or not. If he doesn't he is a tosser and you are out of there.

[AtW]

Find new place where landlord is not a chunt.

[sasguru]

As a landlord myself, he's only responding the market (I take it you're in London?). I ramp up my rent to what the market will take too, I'd be stupid to do anything else - although I don't serve notice first. You can leave but I doubt you'd get anything cheaper in the area, unless he's being extortionate.
Blame Maggie for selling off council houses and subsequent governments for not initiating a house-building program.

[Zippy]

See if you can find anything else at a better price.
Add on moving costs.
Compare costs vs landlord's price hike.

[DimPrawn]

Share with AtW.

[Epiphone]

As a landlord myself, he's only responding the market (I take it you're in London?). I ramp up my rent to what the market will take too, I'd be stupid to do anything else - although I don't serve notice first. You can leave but I doubt you'd get anything cheaper in the area, unless he's being extortionate.
Blame Maggie for selling off council houses and subsequent governments for not initiating a house-building program.

Don't landlords serve notice (section 21) at the same time as signing the lease? I would! Lets the tennant know not to mess about.

[Gibbon]

So I rent (e not a. occasionally a, as I do now). Year after year my landlord uses the following [extortionate] tactics. What's my best response?

Here's their tactics:
1. Serve a notice to vacate the premises in 2 months.
2. Tell me that the notice will be revoked if I agree to a 10% increase in rent no later than within next 30 days, else the notice is enforced.

I kind of like the area. My best move is [...fill in the blank...]

Agree, wait a few months, and then accidentally flood the place, properly done can take a year to be habitable again.

[sasguru]

Don't landlords serve notice (section 21) at the same time as signing the lease? I would! Lets the tennant know not to mess about.

I didn't for my first renewal. Is that the done thing nowadays? Jeez.

[istvan]

As a landlord myself, he's only responding the market (I take it you're in London?). I ramp up my rent to what the market will take too, I'd be stupid to do anything else - although I don't serve notice first. You can leave but I doubt you'd get anything cheaper in the area, unless he's being extortionate.
Blame Maggie for selling off council houses and subsequent governments for not initiating a house-building program.

If it is a one time 10% increase for some understandable reason (upgraded kitchen equipment, etc.), it may be OK, especially if you like the place and the area. But if every year it increases by 10%, you are better off moving to a less greedy landlord. With a 10% increase, in seven years you will pay close to 100% more than the first year you agreed to rent. So move on.

A smart landlord will increase rent less aggressively, after all, if the place is empty for one month he already lost more than 10% for the year. There are lots of flats waiting to be rented, this tells me that you will be able to find a place.

One more point: if the rent goes up by 10% every year and that is doubling the rent in 7 years, do you expect your contract rate or salary increase with the same rate? If you earn 70K, do you expect to earn 140k in seven years? If not, you are lowering your living standard while increasing someone else's living standard.

This is business, supply and demand.