Rent raise limits?

[living life happier]

My landlord is raising my rent more than 7% for the next year. Is there any state or city limit on the amount a landlord can raise the rent? I'm in Davis Square. Thanks for any help you can give!

Comments

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

There is no limit. 7% actually also seems like a fairly typical increase.

[ron_newman]

No. In one of their less wise decisions, the voters of this Commonwealth abolished rent control statewide by referendum in 1994.

This could be considered an abuse of the democratic process, since at that time rent control existed only in Cambridge, Brookline, and Boston, and the voters of all three of those communities continued to support rent control.

Somerville also briefly had rent control, but ended it in 1979.

[noire.livejournal.com]

Rents have gone up rather sharply in Somerville in the past year as well. Big article in the Globe last Sunday about that, actually.

[living life happier (from livejournal.com)]

Thanks everyone. This isn't the news I wanted to hear, but it's what I expected. Oh well. If you have any tips for negotiating with landlords, though, I'd love to hear them!

[vonelftinhaus.livejournal.com]

Depends, the landlord themselves how connected to the property are they- are they in the area or live in the house themselves also. I have no information but how good of tenant have you been ( rent on the 1st/2nd or 5th/6th/7th of the month?) which can be factors. Unfortunately the location can be the most major factor where as realistically that is what the rent in that area is or even possibly more- something to consider also when speaking with the owner is that it is much easier to keep existing tenants than to find new ones and gamble with the unknown. Again that might be difficult to "discuss" if it is a management company.

An example (though this is a few years back in Cambridge) a friend had told the owner that they were going to move because of the price a bit too much after the first year but the owner decided to lower the rent (reasonably of course) so that they would stay. Hope this helps

[serious-noir.livejournal.com]

You have no recourse at all. My landlord jacked my rent up by 25% after we had made a verbal agreement on an increase of @ 5%. She is elderly and claimed she didn't remember that agreement.

[puffy-wuffy.livejournal.com]

We had an increase of 50% last year. Who knows about this year?

Prior to that, in Cambridge, we had an increase of about 25%.

It doesn't seem to matter whether you are a good or bad tenant, rents are just going up.

[pigshitpoet.livejournal.com]

there's a limit, but the question is will he get away with it? depends on how you take it, lying down or standing and fighting. what do you have to lose at this point? go for it. kick some a-hole butt!

[bobobb.livejournal.com]

7% doesn't seem like a lot from a landlord perspective -- if you are paying $2,000 then it would be $140? It may be a lot for your budget, I understand, but these type of small increases tend to be less to do with market rate and more to do with covering the cost of associated expenses, such as a change in the mortgage or taxes etc. You could always ask the landlord and also use the opportunity to request fixes/upgrades. If you are a rockin' tenant (take good care of the property, let him/her know when there are problems on time and in a friendly manner, pay your rent early or on time), then a smart landlord will want to make you happy. If you are not a great tenant, then I think your landlord could probably care less (no offense).

On the rent control bit, I thought I'd add in my two cents as a landlord in a non-rent controlled area and a tenant in a rent controlled area. As a landlord, I would find it really difficult to deal with rent control and cover expenses as they arise. Even in my attempts to keep rent below market rate and affordable, I've had to make some increases to cover some extremely expensive unforeseen events (oil tank leak, anyone?). As a tenant who is in a rent-controlled house, I will never, ever, ever, ever move. Ever. Rent control is the best deal ever. The landlord was not allowed to raise my rent the first year and could only raise it $50 my second year, which he didn't bother doing. Rent control is the best thing ever...when you are a tenant.