My rent is higher than I want it to be but I love where I'm living. I'm trying to brainstorm ways to reduce my rent, like paying for 2 months at a time, but I'm not sure there's anything I can do. Does anyone know of any strategies for negotiating a lower rent payment?

Another idea is to sign a lease for more than a year, maybe 18-24 months for lower rent. Security is worth a lot right now in a lot of places in the US!

Love this as I'm looking to do the same! I'm in CA and looking to negotiate adding another person to the lease. My townhouse doesn't allow more than 2 people, but we want to add another roommate. I don't think they can say no because it's just too dire here in CA. Everyone is moving to Texas or Oregon and I might have to one day too if rents stay so high!

Jimmy298, I'm not keen on the pay up front notion, because you never know what life is going to bring...but here's another way to renegotiate. First, make sure you have the statistics on what comparable apartments are now renting for in Grand Rapids (so you have an idea of what you think is fair and reasonable); then, ask your landlord how much less they'd be willing to take on a monthly basis, if you paid weekly. The prospect of having a constant cash flow, especially if the landlord is a small independent owner, might be of interest...

I'm in a similar situation. I live in LA and the rents here have come down by 5-10% since COVID. Do you know how much rents in your area have come down...or maybe not since covid? I use Zumper to check on monthly reports in my area: https://www.zumper.com/blog/category/los-angeles/ or even Zillow. Knowing that could help you. I'm also thinking of looking at other places on the market just in case I do find something else I like that's much cheaper. But the thought of moving and all is not something I want to go through again.

I'm hearing this from so many of my friends, especially here in the Bay Area where rents have literally dropped 30% over the last 9 months. Renters here have definitely been able to renegotiate their leases down significantly because they hold all the power. What type of person is your landlord? Are they the type that cares only about getting the highest rent they can or do you think they prefer responsible renters who will stay steady for years and years or maybe something else? Also is it a pretty competitive rental market there or are there lots of rentals available? Depending on all that, maybe your idea or a version of it (like prepaying 3 - 6 months for a bigger discount) could work.

Great question Jimmy! I've worked with several folks who've succeeding recently in negotiating down their rent in SF or NY. As Terry and Jon suggested, the most likely way to get a deal is to commit to a certain period of time if you're currently on a month-to-month lease, which is less favorable to the landlord.