Dramatic Rent Increase in Silver Spring, could use knowledgeable advice (Colesville: apartment complex, rental)

[dasindc]

My wife and I just received a notice last night about our lease renewal in a high-rise in Silver Spring. We've been renting for about two years, and our rent is currently in the low $1300's per month, for a 1BD, <800 sq. ft. unit in an older building which was renovated several years ago. The notice indicated that our rent is set to increase over 25%!!! Yikes! Furthermore, we have been given less than a month to decide to renew our less, or enjoy an almost $2000 (!!!) month-to-month rate.

Maryland being the people-friendly state that it is, of course has no state laws governing rent increases, although the letter does concede that Montgomery County recommends a rental increase of 3.1% ("umm, yeahhhh.... we're going to just ignore that and charge you 'out the a*s; is that cool?"). They also cite a substantially increased fair market value for our unit, which happens to be slightly more than the proposed increase (so I guess the new rental rate is a steal...). Okay, enough moaning, here are the questions:

1. Do I have a right to request/receive information about how fair market value was determined, or does anybody know where they source this data? There have been no significant improvements to the building or our unit, housing (to buy) is significantly cheaper and more available in the D.C. area then it was at the height of the insanity two years ago when we first moved in, and unemployment is expected to increase and wage growth to remain sluggish, which suggests to me that rental rates should stagnate or grow meagerly...

2. Has anybody experienced this in Maryland, and can they recommend effective means of negotiating in this situation? What agency would be most appropriate/effective to contact for assistance in this matter?

3. Anybody here knowledgeable of the new rental control laws (lawyers, landlords, etc.) passed in D.C., that can decipher what the new provisions actually mean as far as a permitted % increase? Of course these laws do not cover us, but naive me would like to think I can appeal to their sense of fairness...

This is really frustrating, we're tired of continuous moving for almost 10 years, mostly for changing jobs, and we dread doing the packing thing. We've got no love for this place, and certainly not for Silver Spring (teenage gangs on Ellsworth Street and AstroTurf parks notwithstanding), but we're reasonably comfortable.

Sincerely,

-D.

[CHIP72]

Crap, which building was that? I take it you live somewhere near the Colesville Road/Spring Street/Roeder Road area.

[cutgarden]

As far as I know, as long as the landlord gives you advance notice, they can charge whatever they like. I'm guessing perhaps the land taxes went up again? Good luck!

[kjg1963]

Silver Spring is an up and coming area. I think the landlord is taking advantage of the location and using its new found popularity as justification for the large rent increase. You are right about rental increase laws in Maryland. My rent was also raised over 25% last year and I couldn't find any information on a cap for increases.

[cutgarden]

Sheesh. I don't know people do it. That's a big jump just out of the blue!

[kjg1963]

Originally Posted by cutgarden

Sheesh. I don't know people do it. That's a big jump just out of the blue!

Luckily for me, I hadn't had a rent increase in 7 years and was only paying $750 to begin with. He raised it $200 to $950. We are still actually paying a very low rent for a 3-bedroom duplex. If I was paying upwards of $1400 for rent, I might pitch a fit over a 25% raise.

[Hollytree]

You might make an appt. to go in to see them in person, cite your good record as long term tenants, your financial hardship (create some) and ask if they will make an exception in your case since "you love the place" (hee hee) and don't want to move. If this is not effective, you really have no recourse. Going in with guns blazing and citing rent control data which doesn't apply in MD will very likely irritate them!!! Also, did everyone in your building get the same news? If not, something else is going on.....

[Hollytree]

I didn't mean to say did everybody get the same notice
I meant do you know of anyone else whose rent was recently raised that much?
Sometimes landlords will target a specific tenant with a large increase to get them to move. Of course, that may not be true at all in your case.

[ReefAreCoolToo]

look at yr lease...see if there is a cap or rent increase etc..

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by dasindc

My wife and I just received a notice last night about our lease renewal in a high-rise in Silver Spring. We've been renting for about two years, and our rent is currently in the low $1300's per month, for a 1BD, <800 sq. ft. unit in an older building which was renovated several years ago. The notice indicated that our rent is set to increase over 25%!!! This is really frustrating, we're tired of continuous moving for almost 10 years, mostly for changing jobs, and we dread doing the packing thing.
-D.

I left MD (Anne Arundel County) a year ago in May. I lived in the same 3 story apartment complex for 12 years on the second floor. My rent went up $50 every year for a one bedroom apartment with a small den (means no closet in that room and not big enough for anything but a child's bed). If I was resigning this month in that complex, my rent would currently be $1380 (doesn't include water) for 770 sq ft.

I lived on Long Island (NY) prior to MD and my one bedroom apartment rent always went up $50 per month at every yearly lease signing.

I actually came to believe that $50 was the max increase allowed.

In May 2007, I moved to TN and into a brand new 3 story apartment complex about 25 miles from downtown Knoxville. It is a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment also on the second floor. I have huge closets in the bedrooms. I am the first tenant in my apartment so everything was new when I moved in. I just signed my second lease. My current rent is $907 (includes water) for 1039 sq ft. My rent was increased $10 when I re-signed my lease.

So, I'm thinking a $325 rent increase is outrageous and you have every right to make a stink. But I have to ask - I have always had to commit at least 60 days before signing my next lease. Why did you get less than a month?

Also, has anyone else here ever gotten a larger than $50 rent increase in an apartment complex? I'd just like to know if your 25% increase is waaaay out of whack or just slightly out of whack.