How to Negotiate an Apartment Lease

Learning how to negotiate an apartment lease can give you leverage when you're about to sign a document that impacts the next year of your life. Make sure you get the provisions you need, and don't sign a lease that doesn't work for you.

Be willing to walk away.
As with any type of negotiation, the key to successful negotiation is being willing to walk away. You need to be willing to walk away from apartments if you can't get the provisions you need on your lease. Decide which provisions are must-have deal breakers, and which ones would be nice but aren't going to drive you away. Once you decide what you can't live without, stick to your guns or walk away if you can't get what you want.

Document the changes you want.
Once you've thought about what you want to change in the lease, document the changes you want. If you want to remove or change existing language, highlight the language in the lease, and type up what you want it to say. If you want to add language that isn't present in the lease, type it and print it or e-mail it to the landlord.

If the landlord is amenable, you may be able to simply make your typed document an addendum to the lease, and you'll be all set. Alternately, the landlord may come back with changes he wants, and then you can simply edit the document and add it to the lease. Make sure you get any agreed-upon changes in writing, which is one reason that typing the changes you want is helpful.

Discuss the changes with the landlord.
Don't just hand your landlord a list of the changes you want and wait for him to say yes or no. Talk with him about why you want the changes you want to the lease. Many landlords are reasonable people, and if what you say makes sense, they'll be more willing to concede your point. They also want to feel like they are being consulted about matters of lease management. However, if you just hand over a list of demands, some landlords might be less willing to make a deal or negotiate over your items.

You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
It never hurts you to be nice, and it's especially helpful to be nice if you're hoping to negotiate a lease. Be pleasant and professional at the very least; don't make demands or posture about the changes you want. If you're pleasant, the negotiation process will go much more smoothly, and you've got a better chance of getting what you want. It also helps if you have good credit or good references; your landlord is more likely to want to work with you if you can bring good documentation to the table.

Negotiation is a two-way street.
Negotiation isn't just about getting what you want. Your landlord may want to add some items to the lease if you decide you want to make changes. For example, if you request access to additional parking or storage, your landlord may ask for an increase in rent to cover the difference. These negotiations may also involve duties that traditionally fall to the landlord, such as basic maintenance or snow removal. Know what's legal in your state, and be prepared to give a little to get a little.