A question about raising rent.?

Question

my mother lives in an apartment [new jersey] the apartment is privately.owned, her lease is up in September and the land dude wants to raise the rent 400 dollars. My mom doesnt agree with it and was wondering if there is a certain percentage he is allowed to raise it legally although it is privately owned.. Thanks for the information in advance.

Answer 1

now that is 2 much for an apartment. is it a very nice place where movie starts would stay or what

Answer 2

Some jurisdiction do have rent controls that limit the frequency and amount of rent raises, however most place (probably 90%) do not have these laws.  If your mother lives in a place that doesn't have rent controls then the landlord can pretty much charge what he wants when the lease renews.  Of course if your mother doesn't like it she can just move, if she thinks she can get a better deal somewhere else.

FYI, sometimes landlords just get out of touch with rents in an area and need to make large increases like this, other times they get greedy, and other times this is the landlords way of saying he wants your mother to leave (or pay a really high rent and then its worth it to him for her to stay).  I can't say what the reason if, in this case, for the large increase but barring any rent controls where your mother lives, she can pretty much accept the new rent or move.

Answer 3

I cannot imagine where a 2-3 room apartment rents for 2,000 a month. I rented an efficiency in D.C. a few years ago and it was like $600 month. A 1 BR went for $750 and a 2 BR like $900.

I would tell her to shop that around and be prepared to move.

She could pay $1,600 on a mortgage and have $400 left to cover taxes and insurance, etc. and buy a place worth $250,000.

Good luck working that out. Don't let her get gouged.

Answer 4

Does she live in a rent-control district? Your state and local laws govern your situation. Google new jersey + "tenant rights".

Some cities impose rent control on specific neighborhoods. Check with her city.

Most likely, her landlord is allowed to raise the rent. That's good business, if he can get away with it. If she is a very good tenant, then why not have her speak to the landlord about not changing the rent so drastically.

It is also good business to keep a good tenant. So, be willing to move her out, to gain leverage.

Answer 5

Yes unfortunately he can raise it after the lease it up...If I was mom I would start looking for a new place and quick....she should look into buying her own home instead of paying off someone elses mortgage off....at 1600.00 that is alot for 2 rooms..

Answer 6

Unless she's Section 9 or something, the landlord can raise it as he sees fit.  My rent went from 775 to 1000 this year.  I wasn't at all happy about it, but I did have enough warning to move.

Answer 7

Unfortunately they can increase the rent.  In some states there is a limit on the percent that can be increased, but I can't find one in Jersey.  There is laws that prevent an increase if the apartments are not being kept up.  If there are major issues with the building you can go to court and fight the increase until needs are met.  But all in all it is perfectly legal because they get real estate property tax increases yearly.  

So best thing she can do is find somewhere else in her budget.

Answer 8

He can raise it as high as he wants, but he has to tell her at least 30 days in advance so that she can move out if she does not agree.