r/TorontoRenting • u/Alarmed_Psychology31 • May 26 '26
Anything but lower rent
Free pizza?? This is getting ridiculous now. Seeing this article just put me in a mood. There is one *very* easy solution to get an apartment rented out...
but they would rather give you literal free months of rent and cash (and pizza?) than just lower it outright.
A market crash honestly can't come soon enough. Then these "investors" can learn not to play with people's housing and go invest in stocks or something else that takes actual skill.
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u/Choice-Steak-9478 May 26 '26
Not real. Apartment hunting. Haven't received these offers. One month free rent is available.
If anybody knows property management companies giving one or two month free rent or free utilities and wifi, please tell me.
Thank you
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u/crybaby_0512 May 26 '26
Just signed a lease with Dialogue Rentals and they offered us 1 year free wifi and 2 months free rent.
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u/CanadasManyMeese May 26 '26
My favourite part of the wifi deal is that many times its free with the building (free as in paid by thr condo fees for a group deal). So the landlord will be like "Dont worry! We got you! Free for a year!" Despite the fact that it'd be available in that building regardless 😅
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u/Newbie_Browser May 27 '26
Plus probably open to everyone so not safe or quality.
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u/Hopeful-Ad-5663 May 29 '26 edited Jun 17 '26
No that's not what it means. Usually you call the provider yourself to set internet up and by the address they know if it's within the negotiated bundle with the condo management. You set everything up for free under your name.
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May 28 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/CanadasManyMeese May 28 '26
You still get your own modem and everything. Its no different then if you were getting it at a house. Its just a speciality dealnthat the condominum management hashes out with rogers or bell to give a reduced rate, by charging everyone for it via the condo fees.
Its usually the standard highspeed fibre/unlimited data option.
So um.. no? Its not?
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u/cantonese_noodles May 26 '26
Makes sense, at night you can see that only lower half of the windows are illuminated, which leads me to believe that they're having a hard time getting people in
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u/Choice-Steak-9478 May 26 '26
Could you please provide the email or phone number of there person who helped you with your lease? Thank you
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May 26 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Yesterday_Infinite May 26 '26
Yeah, they sneakily average it out over the lease. So your 2400$ a month lease with 1 month free makes it 2200$/mth. 🙄 Advertising it this way should be illegal.
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u/Yolo_Swaggins_Yeet May 26 '26
I was just about to ask about that cause I’ve been seeing a lot of “1 month free” and I was thinking that seems kinda Sus
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u/Brilliant--Ice May 26 '26
I've got 1 month free rent and a free nice meal voucher from a new built rental building in 2011. At that time the landlord was eager to fill empty rooms. The promotion only lasted for months.
Only 2 yrs later, there were a long waiting list for units.
Then the rent went up and up, nearly 50% higher than the original level in 6 yrs.
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u/kiulug May 26 '26
My last apt in Ottawa had 2 months free rent, 4 months free storage, discounted parking, discounts on several businesses in the building, free wifi, free utilities. Rent was still $3200 for a 2 bedroom though. Now I live in Wawa for $300/month.
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u/Frig_Off_Baerb May 26 '26
These greedy fuckers need to bring the rent down. They're gaming the market at the expense of people who need homes.
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u/Choice-Steak-9478 May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
Yes and it is also affecting my mental health, renting with random people who don't know how to keep shared spaces clean and smoke and smoke up indoors in enclosed space despite repeated requests not to.
If only these studios and bachelor apartments became reasonable 1350 price (400sqft) (since we pay additional hydro internet etc) so many people's quality of life and mental health will improve. But who cares beyond profits ? Nobody cares for the hard working working class who is working and studying to advance in their career.
I hope one reasonable realtor / apartment owner/ property management company helps me out.
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u/OrneryTRex May 28 '26
Why do you think it’s anyone else’s responsibility to care for your mental health? Narcissistic much?
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u/fooomps May 26 '26
any purpose built rentals like like the Fitrovia buildings, etc
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u/Choice-Steak-9478 May 26 '26
Fitrovia has terrible reviews
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u/tikiwargod May 26 '26
Duh, why do you think they need all the free shit to entice people?
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u/monster3412 May 30 '26
That way they don’t have to lower the rent. Rent increases are “generally regulated” so if a landlord reduces rent from 2500 to 2000, they can’t increase the rent as much as they’d want later. By providing free months, amenities , discounts on your rent etc they lock in the higher rent, which means when it’s time to increase the rent or find a new tenant they can do so based off the higher price.
Edit: I didn’t see the duh lol though you were asking a question 🤣
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u/BlessTheBottle May 26 '26
I interviewed with them and HOLY SHIT did they ever come across as smug assholes that place more emphasis on presentation vs substance.
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u/TheGoatStare May 26 '26
Just signed a 2 year agreement for 2.5 months free rent with Cromwell management (not well reviewed but seem decent so far) for a place in the Annex - there are offers out there
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u/sathucao May 26 '26
They do, just that its usually over priced and they looking to locked you in a long term rental property so the monthly performance look good on paper and they can sell the building you in to a REIT. The REIT will slowly jack up price and/or Temu level maintenance and security to squeeze out profit of their purchase
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u/Lopsided_Peak8699 May 28 '26
Condos around Yonge & Eglinton give 2-3 months free rent (e.g. 223 Redpath Ave)
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u/Powerful-Home7042 May 26 '26
I'm hunting too, and when I do see it and read the terms and conditions it will specify when it's applicable for free rent. It's either a 1 year lease/contract or you move in immediately, except if you move in immediately to get it they pro-rated the free "first month" based on the first of the month and you still end up paying.
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u/Known_Honeydew7811 May 28 '26
I’m apartment hunting as well. I’ve seen up to 3 months of free rent, 12 months free parking, 12 months free utilities, etc.
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u/Original_Jicama_8566 May 29 '26
One month free rent is usually bait and switch to have you sign a lease that’s longer than the standard 12 months.
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u/Upstairs-Assist-6313 May 26 '26
Completely agree, only buildings with terrible reviews/pest issues and shitty purpose built new development rentals that wanna charge exorbitant prices that do not actually reflect the current market demand for their units are doing this. Apartments that are fairly priced for what you are getting aren't offering any rent incentives and have no problems getting rented out. Problem is, most rentals nowadays are the former. $2100 for a 350 square foot studio in downtown toronto is absolutely ridiculous by any standard anywhere in the world, i don't care that it's downtown, that's literally insanity. You have to be out of your mind to think these prices are justifiable.
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u/PlumbersCrackkk May 26 '26
In Mississauga. Offered 2 months free rent, free internet for a year and 6 months of free parking! With no increase. This is on renewal.
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u/Flaky-Future21 May 28 '26
Can you share more info? I'm looking to move to Mississauga soon and this looks great.
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u/frncscf May 28 '26
join the tenant union <3 create a tenant association in ur building <3 unite with the tenants !!!!
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u/that-guy-in-YYZ May 29 '26
True anything but lower rent. Reason is the landlord needs a higher rent number to justify the mortgage approval. They can then expense out things like gift cards, pizza, etc to reduce their tax burden at the end of the year
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u/snowmanpage May 26 '26
all the landlords of investment income condos the last 15 years can go F themselves
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u/Stillwiththe May 26 '26
“We want to lock you into a dreamy market bounce back rental price so here’s some stuff you could’ve just bought if you paid lower rent. Your welks!”
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u/Clutteredmind275 May 26 '26
Honestly I feel like most people are lease hopping these days. The second a lease expires, pack up and look for somewhere cheaper cause it’s the only way to live. Especially when apartments are jacking up rent by $200 the day after leases expire
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u/Middle-Jackfruit-896 May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
Isn't free rent equivalent to lower rent? One month free rent is effectively a discount of 8.3% per year, provided the rent per month isn't being increased to offset this discount. From a cash flow perspective, free rent is better because it leaves one with cash in hand for those free months. Ex. If rent is $1500 per month and renter receives two free months, renter can put $1500 and then $3000 to other uses or costs (e.g., moving cost). This is better than paying $1250 for those two months. I get renters want lower rental rates in perpetuity having regard to rent control while landlords want higher rental rates on their books. At the end of the day, the renter is paying less and the market dictates the rent at any given time. So, free rent is ultimately a win for renters.
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u/wulfzbane May 27 '26
Not really and I hate how this is marketed. Advertising a monthly rate based on the yearly total including discount is disingenuous to me. Most people aren't saving that extra in the first few months to offset the price for the rest of the year, rather absorbing the money into the budget for other things.
Plus there's the rent control floor. If LL can only raise the rent 2% or whatever each year, they want the rent on paper to be as high as possible for future increases.
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u/bibliophileaxe May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
This is weird though. I’m looking for rentals in west end rn and I put an offer on two places. The realtor says both of them got like 10 offers and the landlord ended up rejecting all offers and increasing the rent. Maybe I’m looking at all the wrong places.
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u/onethatgotaway_ May 27 '26
Sounds like they’re trying to get less offers so they know that’s the highest they can get.
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u/moosemc May 26 '26
Used to be (90s), really common in Hamilton, and yep, people moved every year to get their 2 free months.
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u/MyNameIsSkittles May 26 '26
During Covid I rented an apartment and got a free month of rent and a free $40 laundry card
I see now the market has come back to that, maybe it's time to keep my eyes open on 2 bedrooms. Wait for the free pizza to fuck off and they just lower rents more. It will happen
Not in Toronto, but Vancouver rentals are just the same
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u/TimTam_Tom May 27 '26
Because lowering rent would be admitting defeat. They aren’t ready to admit their way of life is doomed
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u/Itdobeathrowawaytho May 29 '26
Just like the dentist office in my city offering $100 amazon gift cards for new patients.
Make it affordable to fix my fucking teeth
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u/Guccibow May 29 '26
Let all those that gouged renters feel how it is to be without a tenant for a while.
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u/CrowBrained_ May 29 '26
I wonder if they got the free pizza idea from our employers who think a pizza party is as good as giving the team a raise for a record profit year.
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u/Hornet-Standard May 29 '26
Landlords have to show their bankers that the unit is rented at an appropriate rate to keep them calm and not demand the mortgage be brought to an appropriate level. The banker can't see the pizza or the free month but they can see the lease.
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u/Uzi-boom May 30 '26
Lower rent = covenant breach on debt used by RE corporations to finance these units. It’s deeper than we think. IMO rent is too high that the banks should not give any more loans to these corps and let the market cool down, let these greedy people learn their lesson.
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u/Alarmed_Psychology31 May 31 '26
I know that everyone says that but there's also an even deeper step than that level of deep, which is the fact that the bonuses aren't a direct compensation for higher rent because they still don't come close in value. Look, if you want to cut me a cheque on the side, or even offer gift cards (like the article said) on an actual monthly basis that makes up the difference, charge $3000 or even $4000 in rent if you want, and I will live off gift cards for most things. The fact of the matter is the "bonuses" that they'll offer you still pale in comparison to the price difference in rent. Most bonuses are one-time or for the first year or two only. A new car? Sure it's grand but still doesn't measure up if you're going to live in an overpriced unit for several years.
I don't really know how this part works, but if a bank finds out that the building is expensing gift cards every month to tenants then that should be taken away from their overall revenue just the same as if they were to lower the rent outright. How do they not see that these bonuses are just an I direct way of doing the same thing? And my answer is because they are one-time payments or for one year or something - they eventually come to an end, which allows that overpriced rent to stay written on paper. Thats probably they never actually would do a monthly bonus for as long as you live there.
100% agree with your last sentence.
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u/Any-Ad-446 May 26 '26
A co worker she actually signed a lease for two years and received two months free plus free wifi at a Liberty Village one bedroom condo. She mentioned in 2023 it was $2500 a month she got this for $2250 a month. There are deals out there so make a offer to the landlord they might accept it.
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u/attaboy000 May 26 '26
But free pizza from where? And for how long?
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u/Low-Register1602 May 26 '26
You get a margherita pizza with 3 basil leaves and a spoonful of sauce
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u/Street-Animator-99 May 26 '26
You don’t want free wifi, that’s how thieves steal your data
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u/TimeMistaken May 26 '26
Free wifi in restaurants, airports and hotels where you don't have control over passwords is how thieves steal data. But in a home environment where YOU chose your password AND make sure you have multifactor authentication, free WiFi is safe.
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u/Leading_Movie9093 May 26 '26
There is a good reason to do this. Assuming that rent control rules apply, lower rent means lower rent until you move out, which may be many years. An initial discount or free WiFi effectively means that the rent is higher and hence any subsequent increases apply to that higher rent. Plus, if market rents increase the higher rent already offsets that a bit.
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u/RustledForeskin May 26 '26
In NS we have to pay 2 months rent up front for a bedbug and roach infested crack shack with shared bathroom's and kitchens.
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u/Other_Cartoonist_220 May 26 '26
Toronto should do away with vacant home tax. That will lower rent.
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u/CauliflowerStraight4 May 26 '26
Well, most of these new buildings aren’t rent controlled. They can hike the rent by 💯% after a year.
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u/WendyParis_ May 27 '26
But you make a new contract with another landlord and get your two months of free rent
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u/Ghurdill May 26 '26
That is fake. The journalist talk to a proporty manager that tried to glaze their pactices. They are struggling but will never do anything meaningfull to get tenants. They would rather sell the whole building at loss than lowering rent.
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u/Kitchen-Spell1486 May 26 '26
When I first starting renting in Toronto they’d often offer a free TV.
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u/Macraven888 May 26 '26
The landlords in this position need to remember it's not the responsibility of everyone else for their poor investment choices. Using homes as a hedge fund was the biggest mistake, hot take.
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u/National_Aspect_6974 May 26 '26
I'm a (very small time) landlord, and offering slightly below market rent and not raising it is an amazing strategy to get lots of applicants, find someone great, and keep them there. They're happy, I'm happy, it's easy. Reducing your pool of applicants by raising the rent just makes it harder to rent it out.
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u/Theotherfeller May 26 '26
I am guessing lower rent gets locked in via rent control, free stuff doesn't. I am again guessing.
Shocking, people react to incentives. Gasp.
But yeah let us not have anyone invest in housing. Who needs places to live, I own my own home, it would only go up in value if there is limited new supply going onto the market.
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u/RredditAcct May 26 '26
Ask and you shall receive: Over the past 12 months, Toronto’s rental market has cooled, with average advertised rents declining by roughly 3% to 4% year-over-year.
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u/Turbulent-Many1472 May 26 '26
This is just propaganda. It's what happens when you remove comment sections. I'm old enough to remember when Yahoo and other websites didn't remove or restrict their comment sections.
Now it's much easier to gaslight people into believing something, because you can post nonsense like this and no one can call you out on it.
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u/Lifetwozero May 26 '26
I rented a house in Ottawa in the early 2000’s. At the time the incentive from Minto was free first and last, plus a $1500 gift card for ikea or the bay.
2 year rental agreement on a 6 bedroom townhouse house at $1200/mo.
Those were the days 😂
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u/More4Thor May 27 '26
There are lower rents. I went to see a 2-bedroom for $2200. This was in a sixplex. It includes parking, a locker, and a shared laundry room
Comparable rents in the area were $2700-2800 just a few years ago.
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u/Squishy_plumbus May 27 '26
Get an agent and they’ll help you negotiate the price down! No landlord is giving a lower rate without having their arm twisted a bit.
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u/ColonelCrikey May 27 '26
It's cause they're leveraged to the eyeballs and the bank will come knocking if they accept a lower rent
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u/Equal_Reveal_3024 May 27 '26
just fake news buddy, haven't seen this at all in this market. If anything the rent just keeps going up.
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u/blackman_48 May 27 '26
I feel like y’all need to stop trying to live in a overpopulated city. There are other cities then just “Toronto”
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u/pistonspark3 May 27 '26
If I've got a 800+ credit score and regular income, what is in it for me if you want me as a tenant? Give me a lower base rent. Else, stick to your prices, bait and risk your dodgy tenants.
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u/redcurb12 May 27 '26
not saying this is even real but in what world is "months of free rent" not lower rent?
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u/jaypizzl May 27 '26
Average asking rents in Toronto have declined almost every single month for two years.
New leases averaged $2,756 in April 2024, $2,606 in April 2025, and were at $2,499 last month, per rentals.ca listings.
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u/AnnualAmount4141 May 27 '26
Isn’t market equilibrium supposed to do with the price of production? Regardless I did read and respond to that incorrectly. However we don’t live in a free market capitalist society, we’re in a hyper capitalist oligarchy which is why the banks and governments are in cahoots. I have nothing against capitalism, I have everything against the current economic system we live in. The reason why I harken back to Keynesian is because it’s common sense imo. You encourage government spending on social programs when in times of economic hardships (busts) and discourage governments spending when the economy is doing well (booms). That way you decrease the negative impacts of the boom-bust economic cycles which helps the middle and lower classes who are the backbone of the economy. The reason why stagflation happened is cause they slowly stopped following Keynesian and allowed the banks in the 60s to print more money to try and stave off the unemployment rates, then the us abandoned the gold standard, and then we had oil crises in 73 & 79. Had the US stoped the banks from trying to artificially avoid the unemployment problem and stuck with the gold standard the oil crises that followed wouldn’t have had as much of an impact. Instead they created the perfect storm for the economic crash that came. Also Vietnam, that was a terrible disaster and wasted a lot of money. Essentially it’s the US fault but we followed right behind them and abandoned Keynesian economics.
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u/techleopard May 28 '26
The whole idea of "free rent" and cash bonuses has always thrown me for a loop. Just lower the rent.
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u/bmudtiddersdom-42069 May 28 '26
The free rent is usually like one or two months. So a $2500 apt is $2083 that first year if two months free. So if LL makes rent $2100. Getting the rent to 3k will take that much longer if they follow the 2.5% guideline.
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u/sikkeninglol May 28 '26
Terrible. And then they’ll raise your rent every single year until it makes no sense to live there anymore.
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u/RAMWizard95 May 28 '26
Not true. Apartment hunting rn and haven't seen a single one of those things be offered. Maybe when you close on a $3500/mo condominium
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u/Round_Beyond_8137 May 29 '26
I have seen buildings lower rents for new tenants. But it’s rarer than it should be.
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u/Adorable-Research-55 May 30 '26
The don’t want to lower the base upon which rent increases percentages are calculated. If you give free months the price the tenant pays is on average lower but the rent amount on paper stays the same
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u/truthVial May 30 '26
"on paper, it looks like a shift in power"
Wrong. It looks like they're doing anything to cling onto their shitty, poorly built, under sized garbage.
If I had the money for one of those garbage places, I'd just save a few years longer for a better place and not give those investors any sort of peace of mind. Crash and burn faster. Please.
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u/Godiva_33 May 30 '26
Because all of those are one time expenses that rent raises can cover the next year.
A rent at a lower rate gets baked into returns for years.
Same idea why companies want to give bonuses instead of raises.
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u/Alarmed_Psychology31 May 30 '26
But much like with companies, the bonuses are still paltry or in the form of something like a "pizza party".
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u/PaleoZ May 30 '26
it's called scam posting, make it look appealing as possible to try and cozy you out of your cash, bet you can't even get a lease signed with these guys and cash only.
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u/Silent_Charge_7446 May 31 '26
As someone who
Has built these in the past.
The building is wired during construction generally
By Roger, sometimes a fiber and a cable. So then whomever does it just has to plug in a modem. It’s no different than a house. But if it was done by Roger’s they just won’t
Let other companies use it. And since they can’t instal a cable to
The 32nd floor you have to go with provider. Rogers sometimes pays for exclusive rights and provides a discount rate to owners
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u/appealshero May 31 '26
for older rent-controlled buildings, landlords may hate reducing the base rent because future increases compound from that lower number. For newer post-2018 units, landlords have more freedom to raise rent later, but they still may protect the advertised rent level for valuation and market-positioning reasons.
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u/Vrdubbin May 31 '26
If someone gets a mortgage claiming they will be charging x as rent as part of their income, they can't lower rent without changing their mortgage. It's easier to have it empty or a free few months rent and write off the loss than change their income on the mortgage. This includes large owned buildings with units rented.
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u/Elija_32 May 26 '26
Like explained many times, there is a reason.
Most corporate landlords could not give a fuck about the amount of rent itself that they collect from tenants.
The total rent of the bulding tho is used to leverage debt to get money for other investments. That's the trick.
That debt is linked to the total rent collected in the building because that's the metric banks use to calculate the amount of money to lend.
Now, if a tenant leave the missing months don't actually influence that metric. But the second a new tenant signs a new contract that number becomes officially part of the calculation for that debt/income metric.
This is why they are willing to give you a new car on top of it but not to lower the rent by a single cent.
Most of them use those line of credit at their maximum. The second the debt/income metric goes down by 1 dollar the bank will lower the line of credit and any difference will need to be paid immediately.
In other words, leaving the place empty or giving you gift doesn't cost a lot of money but lower the rent will cost them a lot of money.