Renters liable for apartment concessions?

Question

My best friend and I are moving in together to save money. We went to turn in apps and deposits today to one community when the leasing agent casually mentioned that the advertised price of $995 would be the price that we paid monthly, but because the market rate was $1310, if we ever had to break our lease early, we would be responsible for paying back the $315 difference in the market price and advertised price, for EACH MONTH we had been there retroactively. How is it considered a "concession" if it is not advertised or discussed as a concession or discount before we are paying the deposit and fees and signing papers and stuff? And why should that $315 retroactive payment be any of my concern if they told us the price was $995 from the beginning? Needless to say, we took our checkbooks and left, but we were being unreasonable? I have never heard of this kind of practice, unless the renter and leasing office initially discuss a concession based on student status or preferred employer discounts, in which case I can better understand being liable for that in the event of an early lease termination.

Answer 1

We do it. It is a common practice. You would only need to be concerned if you were going to break your lease. It is an "incentive" to have our renters fulfill the leases....

Answer 2

The agent let you know the deal regarding concessions prior to turning in your application & deposits, correct?

There you go. You got the required info and chose to pass on the rental.

This is becoming a common practice with apartment complexes.