Roommate moving out asking for rent reduction (Chicago: apartments, rentals)

[lincclay]

Hi everyone! We are living in a 3 bedroom apartment in Chicago and the end of the lease date is very close. One of us is planning to leave 2 of us prefer to extend the lease. We have been looking for a roommate for quite some time and were not successful. The landlord knows about this. Is it a viable option to ask the landlord that we want to stay here and you take the responsibility of finding a roommate for us? (We will pay 2/3 of the rent up until you can bring the new person.) I am not a landlord so I do not understand completely his point of view but I think this should be even good for him. Because if we leave, this place will be vacant for at least few months and I think renting out a 3 bedroom might be harder than finding just 1 person for 1 room, is that correct? Any previous experiences of this type and any suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

[oldtrader]

It is not the landlords place to bring in a new room mate. If he/she did, it could be someone that would not be comfortable with.

As far as reducing the rent by 1/3rd while waiting for a new room mate is very unreasonable. It is not up to the landlord to suffer this lost income, as he still has tenants...the two of you.

[wase4711]

you can ask the landlord anything you want; the chance of them agreeing with you is zero...

and, if you leave, they will find new tenants, and, probably raise the rent at the same time...rentals are a very hot business right now, especially in the right area..

[deeman7]

You should probably start looking for 2 bedroom apartments.

[GoCUBS1]

I’m a landlord and I would never look/advertise for a roommate for an existing tenant, or provide a rent reduction in this market. At the end of the lease, I raise the rent and/or advertise for new tenants.

Also, 3 bedrooms are not hard to rent out. There is a very good market for them (especially with young families) as they are harder to find.

[latincoffee]

Originally Posted by oldtrader

It is not the landlords place to bring in a new room mate. If he/she did, it could be someone that would not be comfortable with.

As far as reducing the rent by 1/3rd while waiting for a new roommate is very unreasonable. It is not up to the landlord to suffer this lost income, as he still has tenants...the two of you.

Well said. It's the landlord's fault that you guys can't afford to pay for the empty room that your roommate is leaving. I hope you guys find, if not already a roommate.

[jmgg]

Originally Posted by oldtrader

It is not the landlords place to bring in a new room mate. If he/she did, it could be someone that would not be comfortable with.

As far as reducing the rent by 1/3rd while waiting for a new room mate is very unreasonable. It is not up to the landlord to suffer this lost income, as he still has tenants...the two of you.

A landlord will never do this. If who they get turns out to be a thief, a deadbeat, a pervert (get the picture), they might have liability issues. It's not their problem.