Is there a legal percentage landlords can increase rent?

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by samiwas1

Unfortunately, wages don't. For everything the glamorized "free market" does right, it is amazing how much inflation affects prices, but rarely wages. You'd almost think it's an excuse.

Average income in 1913: $15,571
Average income in 2012: $56,271

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by atlantagreg30127

Yep, technically they could double your rent if they wanted to, though it wouldn't make good business sense.

Sometimes it's kind of an "apartment shuffle" here. You get into a place initially and they do some really good deals/free rent promotions. When you renew your first lease, poof - increase. Then another, then another. I lived in an apartment in Vinings years ago, and they went up $70 the first year, $90 the second, and $90 again the third. I didn't sign another lease, but instead my roommate at the time (who wasn't on the lease), wound up getting a unit in the same building for $300 less than I initially paid for mine at the get-go. Then I just moved into that unit with them.

It can get tired playing the "game" they play, but if you stay in the same apartment they'll do it to you. You can of course, go to the leasing office and (nicely) threaten to move out if they increase your rent that much. That MIGHT work - occasionally, they'll negotiate and just raise it a little bit. But these days more people are renting rather than selling, so there are fewer units available and leasers have less power. Give it a try, though.

I tried to negotiate that my property management people not raise my rent when I lived in VA-HI but they weren't hearing it. They wanted to increase my rent by $50. I had been there some years and always paid my rent on time. I told them I would sign another year lease if they wouldn't increase my rent or at least by not so much. They wouldn't budge even though I knew they'd done it for other tenants.

I moved out.

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Average income in 1913: $15,571
Average income in 2012: $56,271

Average. Yes, of course. Can you supply the medians? They give a much, much clearer picture.

If someone who makes $5m per year walks into a bar full of 99 other people making $20,000 a year, that bar can say their average clientele makes $69,800 per year. It's not even close to true, but that's the average. Average should never be used for wages. The sharp rise of the upper class over the past few decades would affect the average in a big way.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by samiwas1

Average. Yes, of course. Can you supply the medians? They give a much, much clearer picture.

If someone who makes $5m per year walks into a bar full of 99 other people making $20,000 a year, that bar can say their average clientele makes $69,800 per year. It's not even close to true, but that's the average. Average should never be used for wages. The sharp rise of the upper class over the past few decades would affect the average in a big way.

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/incom...2/H08_2012.xls

Median income in 1984 in current dollars: $22,415
Median income in 2012: $51,017

Anything else I can look up for you?

[mattee01]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Average income in 1913: $15,571
Average income in 2012: $56,271

By that reasoning, average rent today should be roughly...300$ (it was about 13 or 14$ a month)

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by mattee01

By that reasoning, average rent today should be roughly...300$ (it was about 13 or 14$ a month)

Reasoning? Those are recorded facts. Not my guess of what the income was.

That $13 is not inflation adjusted. Not here to do all your home work for you, but here is adjusted and unadjusted rents going back to the 1940s: Historical Census of Housing Tables - Gross Rents

Rent was $284 in 1940 and $602 in 2000.

If you don't like that costs, incomes, and quality of life increase in a market economy, there are still counties out there you can move to that have a control economy that will not increase rent prices on you (granted, less control economies than in the past because many have collapsed).

[JBM30022]

Landlords are refusing to renew leases'. They are raising rents for new tenants from $300 to $400 per month. A one bedroom apartment was $720/month, would normally increase $72/month (+10%); now it will rent at $1,050/month (+45%).
Justification is stated as the addition of a microwave oven (have one) and granite counter tops.

A search of competing apartment complexes shows this is a trend.