[quote=Scarlett][quote=Raybyrnes]You better start looking seriously at new places. Idle threats don’t go very far. But if you have a couple of comparable properties then you may be able to plead your case.[/quote]
I’d rather not move as I moved in from an apt 1 yr ago and I’m tired of moving. There are VERY few equivalent townhomes for rent in LJ colony, and I don’t know what they ACTUALLY rented for. My point is, wouldn’t they rather keep the current tenants with a ‘concession’ (1 month free rent) and not have to deal with the hassle of cleaning, putting it on the market, showings, may be vacant for more than a month? Apartment complexes have those deals all the time, at least for new tenants.[/quote]

The rental agent knows that you, like all people with more than minimal belongings, are resistant to moving.

You must make a threat to move that is credible to the rental agent. Which means you must demonstrate knowledge of a comparable rental that is going for a rent similar to what you are demanding.

Even then, the rental agent will factor in knowledge of what it will cost for you to move, and use it as rebuttal. (How much of what you save on rent will be lost to moving costs?)

It’s a poker game, and the rental agent is in the game every day.