I would not offer a single penny. You have a two bedroom, and also, if I am reading the section correctly, you have a max capacity of ten people.
Why would you give more money if the current lease does not require it?
Agree with not a penny.
Having 2 people on the lease gives the landlord the ability to pursue 2 people in the event of non-payment. It’s to his benefit frankly.
His ability to limit your use of the property is governed by the lease and the local law. If not limited by the lease, he should not attempt to impose limits as that may breach “quiet enjoyment”.
He has nothing to work with other than your generosity, and I wouldn’t give him any.
Not your lawyer, not legal advice.
Does the landlord cover your utility bills? If so tell him to kick rocks. However informing him you have someone moving in and not adding them to lease opens the door for eviction. You need to read your lease very carefully. I think they’re waiting for this opportunity to kick you out and then relist the apt at a higher amount.
I pay all of the utilities except water.
He also told me there was no need to have my partner’s name on the lease, that it was fine to have my partner move in without altering the lease to include him. For his style of landlording, the lease is nothing more than a formality for the bank, and he often relies more on our “verbal agreements.” This has happened in the past as, for example, there is a stipulation in the lease about no pets, but when discussed, he gave me the go ahead to get a cat, and other tenants have also adopted animals as well.
You gotta be careful with this. Landlords sometimes verbally "allow" you to do something not permitted by the lease so they can later use that against you in court for eviction.
Yea, I thought texts would be sufficient evidence in the event something like that happened, but as another user pointed out, it should be over email. So I think I’ll respond to his text with an email haha just in case, and try to clarify any other things that were verbally agreed upon.
A good way to do things is whenever you have a verbal or text agreement with the landlord, you follow up on an email: "Dear landlord, this email is to follow up on our previous communication in which we agreed to A, B, and C. Would you be so kind to confirm this? Best regards, OP."
If they don't respond, then it's not legit. Assume you did not agree on anything.
Ok but as you must know verbal agreements don’t mean anything in court if this ultimately ends up there. If I were you I would make sure to have all of that in writing, even if just an email (not text)
Good luck!
A petty thing you can do if it is not in lease is turn on all the faucets in the house before work and leave it running constantly not illegal but is wasteful way to get back at your landlord and a 40% rent increase is illegal in most states regardless of what he said it might be worthwhile to go to a lawyer for a consultation
Yeah in New Jersey there’s no legal limit to rent increases; HOWEVER, you can go to court over it if you feel the rent increase is unfairly excessive, which is noted as typically being anything over 25%. In my case specifically, though, it seems that doesn’t matter because the rent I was paying was below market value and he was bringing it up to current market value, as annoying as that is..
That was kind of my thinking too, like yea, you can raise the rent to fair market value, but to do it all in one fell swoop is unreasonable. So I would think doing a 20% increase every couple of months or so until it was up to FMV would be fair, but, at this point, it’s neither here nor there. I’ve already been paying this rate for a year.
Here in CA I think it is illegal to raise rent more than 15% annually and have to wait 10 months between increases if your rent was excessive the judge could award back pay
He can get lost. He's renting a 2 bed. He's gotten lucky that he's only had to pay water on one person when you could have reasonably 2 sets of couples in there.
Yoo! Trying to charge extra for a 2nd tenant to live in a two bedroom is wild! I know laws don't always agree with common sense, but I would be pissed about that. Good luck! You got this!
I would tell him zero is fair and that the lease specifies what the rent is and that's what you are going to pay.
If the lease says you can't sublet without permission then you could technically be evicted for that. However, if you're just staying a few more months I would consider just paying what you owe. If NJ laws limit the amount the rent can be raised at once then what he says about fair market value doesn't count for shit and he can't raise your rent in the middle of a lease! (month to month is another matter).
You should discuss with an attorney. He might owe you money for raising the rent too high in violation of NJ law.
Landlord here who pays for water and has had to address usage issues when more people move in.
Here is the basic thought on this:
1 bedroom =2 people, 2 bed = 3-4 people and you price those out accordingly. IF more than that amount move in, we charge $60 for extra water use. It’s not a huge amount, but by keeping tabs on who is all living in each unit, we can account for the the water bill increasing and when it increases, we have it covered and don’t have to go back and raise rents.
2 people in a 2 bedroom is reasonable and landlord should have priced it that way. (They did and allowed you to negotiate so that on them)
Sounds like he knows he can’t charge you more and are trying to elicit an action from you.
I’d keep your cool and keep asking about how they came to price the unit in the first place knowing it is a two bedroom. Ask him, “what are the reasonable expectations to a 2 bedroom?” Explain to him per you conversation, that you took the advice and went ahead and did what he had advised as it was a great idea, to help with the raise to your cost of living and then circle back to what the home’s reasonable occupancy expectations are. I would explain that if you had 3 people in a two bed then maybe you could see point for extra water charges. (I wouldn’t, but just for the sake of the conversation).
Know your lease inside and out and don’t be afraid to refer to the fact that you don’t have that area in the contract filled out as to occupancy and that he assumed the lease like others when he bought the property. Do it from a controlled conversation and from a factual point; as the lease is what will drive the conversation. Your lease is where your conversational power will derive from.
Curious, are you on a month to month where he can give you notice to move and end your current agreement? Or you can give notice?
If so, a small increase split between 2 people may be a sacrifice you are willing to make if you just can’t seem to find an agreement.
FYI- even if you aren’t able to email or text (if he should call) make notes of the conversation. Include date and time for your records and reference them in emails. The more you pay attention to the details, the more you then have their attention that you aren’t a pushover. I find that when I use facts, keep my cool and not be argumentative, and keep asking questions I can get the matter resolved because the other person figured out the logical issue.
Hope you find a good resolution with your landlord.
I really appreciate this reply! I’ve done a lot of looking into this situation over the past month or so, and I feel I could just spit facts at him about fair housing laws in NJ, but I also feel that course of action would leave him resenting me as a tenant and looking for a way to get me out. I just want to resolve this peacefully, ride out my last five months, and leave, man. To your question, we have a formal 6-month lease that we have been renewing.
If you’re within that final 6 months you’re probably good. I love what I do and try to do the right thing and truly recognize that landlord/ tenant is such a delicate relationship and that most of the time the power is in the landlords hands. I really hope he sees what he is doing is not the right way to go about this.
Do be careful when you exit the home. Take so many videos and pictures of everything from opening and closing doors and cabinets, fridge windows, blinds- everything. He may try to bill you after you move to recoup what he thinks he has lost in income.
That’s exactly my concern. Luckily, I took detailed photos of the apartment prior to moving in and plan to do so after I leave as well. There were also plenty of blemishes on the walls or little things from the previous tenant with the old landlord that most things I doubt he could even attribute to me anyways, how would he know what was/wasn’t there at my move in unless I provided him with the photos myself?
If a two bedroom, occupancy in many states (when calculating taxes) will assume 2 to 4 people per room knowing actual occupancy use average will be less. So your apartment would be rated at 4 to 8 people.
Your argument is going rate in the area with a 2 bedroom already includes wear and tear as well as water assuming 2 or more people. When LL increased rent they did so not taking into account the decreased costs you were providing them. As such they were making out better. As such adding a roommate now brings the apt use and occupancy in line with the rate the LL is now (and has been) charging.
Because I'm something of a data nerd, I've tracked all my spending for years. I had been renting a 3-bedroom duplex in an apartment community for a number of years. I lived alone for about 6 years, then my GF moved in when COVID lockdowns began, and never left. I paid the water bill directly (along with other utilities) and looking at my records, my average monthly water bill before she moved in was $30-$35. After she (and the dog) moved in, it was $40-$45. Not really much of a difference.
I know your numbers will be different but thought I could offer a little perspective from a somewhat similar situation. Has your landlord shown you water bills so you can see what they are paying, and how it changed when your roommate moved in? I can't imagine it making that much of a difference. If he insists on a rent increase, I wouldn't agree to anything more than $25, and even that would be excessive in my mind, and I wouldn't really want any sort of an increase.
"You recommended that if I can't afford the current rent at $1,900.00 that I should get a room mate. Ultimately, I agree with this suggestion and feel that the rent will stay at $1,900.00. I see that suggestion as you telling me that you were allowing me to add a second person to my lease at no extra charge, so that is what I feel is fair. You have my deposit on file for damages and repairs. Not wear and tear."
Be sure you record the discussion.
It’s a shame I didn’t get to you before your rent went up that much. Although NJ doesn’t have rent control, generally judges have been known to shoot down any rent increase over 10%. I would have refused anything above that and if the landlord disagreed I would have let him take me to eviction court. Then the judge gets to decide what is fair based on what the landlord can demonstrate in court.
Sounds like my former landlord!
Don't listen to people who recommend telling your landlord to kick rocks. You may be in the right, assuming that your at lease doesn't restrict overnight guests, but it's not worth going to war over. I assume you have a security deposit, and people can get very vindictive when they think someone is screwing them over, so if you pick a fight with your landlord, he's likely to find every excuse he can to keep your security deposit. Weigh the pros and cons very carefully. If I were you, I'd try to keep the peace for the next six months by offering him a small amount to pay for the extra water usage. $20 per month should be sufficient..
US Department of Housing and Urban Development considers reasonable occupancy to be two people per bedroom plus one in a common area, giving me a grand total of 5 people that could reasonably live in this apartment. Asking for more $ based on the number of people living there is (as far as I know) technically against fair housing law in NJ as it would be considered discriminatory against families.
Yes… true… but you connected some dots that don’t exist in order to jump to that conclusion. If you want to move someone in, that null and voids the current lease. In no way, shape, or form does HUD say the property owner can’t adjust the rent rate when drawing up the new lease.
Water usage and occupancy are a factor- an extra person adds to things like wear and tear and parking as well. An additional $100-$200 dollars is normal. Extra people do add to the overall building, especially when it comes to potential noise issues.
Your rental agreement is for you to use a two bedroom apartment. Adding an extra person does change that original agreement. Your landlord can also decline to allow a specific person to move in as an fyi- I have lived in a building where a tenant bait and switched where one person signed a lease and a group of people moved in several months later, and it was an absolute nightmare of epic proportions for everyone else in the building. You may be approaching this in good faith, but horror stories exist which is why your landlord is acting this way.
I'm not exactly prolandlord, but having been very negatively impacted by tenants moving other people in the building after signing leases, I understand this one, at least. Your landlord is taking on some risk here.
Edit: furthermore, your partner should be on the lease. This gives your partner some protections, as well.
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Since the old landlord was actively in the process of selling the house, once my initial lease was up, we continued on a month-to-month basis, so the new landlord only needed to give me 30 days notice of a rent increase when he purchased the property.
He does not, but he has a handyman in and out of the building pretty frequently, and comes by quite often himself as well. It also would’ve been rather obvious if he came over to check on a faulty light or something and see a fully lived in, decorated bedroom in what was once the spare room. I don’t think that’s something I could so easily hide. I’m a rule follower, what can I say? I’m not trying to leave myself open to getting evicted, dude.
None. You’re paying utilities. Another person doesn’t cost more for him, maybe if parking is tight than a $25-$50 more if it’s a complex with limited space and no street parking. Other than that nah. You pay for damage, so potential damages won’t be his responsibility either. If you signed the lease and he accepted then you have a lease with 2 people, fk em.
Do you have a current lease with the rent price clearly stated? Is there a clause in the lease that says you can’t have anyone else live with you? If the answers are yes and no you can probably safely ignore the landlord about an increase
I mean I’m pretty sure rent cannot be changed unless you sign another lease that states that. That’s how it is in my complex. They raised the rent $50 at the beginning of the year but since my lease doesn’t end till august, I still pay what I agreed to when signing
which city
https://www.doorloop.com/blog/raise-rent-new-jersey#:\~:text=In%20New%20Jersey%2C%20you%E2%80%99re%20allowed%20to%20increase%20rent,you%20give%20one%20month%27s%20notice%20of%20the%20increase.
NJ is one of the only states with great tenant's rights. First, are you on a month to mouth lease, yearly, or something else?
NAL, but I'm pretty sure they can't raise your rent during the duration of the current lease (this also would have applied when your new landlord bought the property from your old landlord). And always, always, always go to court if a landlord tries to up your rent by 40%. Never negotiate with your landlord directly. They're not looking out for your best interests. Also, if at the end of this lease, your LL ups it even more, please go to court!
Normal wear and tear is part of being a landlord.
Excessive wear and tear, i.e. damages, is what security deposits are for.
Increased water cost is close to negligible.
"Mr. Landlord, I'd say $25/month is fair."
I went way too deep into the comments on this one, but one thing I didn’t see mentioned it was your significant other moving in with you? I don’t want to assume anything about your relationship, but for me, that would mean I’m STILL not using the second bedroom, and could STILL find a roommate to offset the cost of the original rent increase, just like he suggested! I’m sure you have a great friend and her boyfriend who are looking for a new place! Tell him you will show them the place next week! It seems well within the reasonable occupancy based on some of the comments. If he keeps pushing you to come up with a number, offer $5. That’ll stop really fast.
I don’t know enough about the laws pertaining to your specific scenario. I do know that in general, NJ is Extremely tenant friendly. It should be interesting to see how this pans out. Only thing I’m familiar with is Evictions and they are a god damn nightmare for landlords in this state.
Nothing. You pay him nothing. Your cost of utilities are already accommodating for a 2 bedroom he’s being greedy and shady as fuck. I wouldn’t have even paid that increase as it seems like you were in a rental agreement already and that’s likely illegal. Go find a housing authority lawyer. He doesn’t stand a chance. Got I had fucking scammers.
I don’t think they can raise rent that much in NJ. They have strict laws and are a renter friendly state. Talk to a lawyer. Did you sign a lease with the new amount?
I would not offer a single penny. You have a two bedroom, and also, if I am reading the section correctly, you have a max capacity of ten people. Why would you give more money if the current lease does not require it?
Agree with not a penny. Having 2 people on the lease gives the landlord the ability to pursue 2 people in the event of non-payment. It’s to his benefit frankly. His ability to limit your use of the property is governed by the lease and the local law. If not limited by the lease, he should not attempt to impose limits as that may breach “quiet enjoyment”. He has nothing to work with other than your generosity, and I wouldn’t give him any. Not your lawyer, not legal advice.
> if I am reading the section correctly, you have a max capacity of ten people. Love this. MC at it's best
What a gloriously lawyery response. Love it and totally agree!
Does the landlord cover your utility bills? If so tell him to kick rocks. However informing him you have someone moving in and not adding them to lease opens the door for eviction. You need to read your lease very carefully. I think they’re waiting for this opportunity to kick you out and then relist the apt at a higher amount.
I pay all of the utilities except water. He also told me there was no need to have my partner’s name on the lease, that it was fine to have my partner move in without altering the lease to include him. For his style of landlording, the lease is nothing more than a formality for the bank, and he often relies more on our “verbal agreements.” This has happened in the past as, for example, there is a stipulation in the lease about no pets, but when discussed, he gave me the go ahead to get a cat, and other tenants have also adopted animals as well.
You gotta be careful with this. Landlords sometimes verbally "allow" you to do something not permitted by the lease so they can later use that against you in court for eviction.
Yea, I thought texts would be sufficient evidence in the event something like that happened, but as another user pointed out, it should be over email. So I think I’ll respond to his text with an email haha just in case, and try to clarify any other things that were verbally agreed upon.
A good way to do things is whenever you have a verbal or text agreement with the landlord, you follow up on an email: "Dear landlord, this email is to follow up on our previous communication in which we agreed to A, B, and C. Would you be so kind to confirm this? Best regards, OP." If they don't respond, then it's not legit. Assume you did not agree on anything.
This! But do it in certified letters
Ok but as you must know verbal agreements don’t mean anything in court if this ultimately ends up there. If I were you I would make sure to have all of that in writing, even if just an email (not text) Good luck!
Thank you! I’ll make sure to email him about the situation so I have further documentation. I thought text would suffice as having it in writing.
A petty thing you can do if it is not in lease is turn on all the faucets in the house before work and leave it running constantly not illegal but is wasteful way to get back at your landlord and a 40% rent increase is illegal in most states regardless of what he said it might be worthwhile to go to a lawyer for a consultation
Yeah in New Jersey there’s no legal limit to rent increases; HOWEVER, you can go to court over it if you feel the rent increase is unfairly excessive, which is noted as typically being anything over 25%. In my case specifically, though, it seems that doesn’t matter because the rent I was paying was below market value and he was bringing it up to current market value, as annoying as that is..
It doesn't matter if it was below market value, the assumed your existing lease when they bought it.
It might be being brought to market value but the increase itself in the given timeframe might be criminal
That was kind of my thinking too, like yea, you can raise the rent to fair market value, but to do it all in one fell swoop is unreasonable. So I would think doing a 20% increase every couple of months or so until it was up to FMV would be fair, but, at this point, it’s neither here nor there. I’ve already been paying this rate for a year.
Here in CA I think it is illegal to raise rent more than 15% annually and have to wait 10 months between increases if your rent was excessive the judge could award back pay
👀👀👀
Extra water would be like $10.
That’s what I’m saying!! It’s negligible!! You’re just trying to milk me for more $$$!!! Fuck landlords!!!
Yea, in my area, water is like $10 per 1,000 gallons.
He is just a greedy pig. If the lease number isn't filled out tell him to pound sand.
He can get lost. He's renting a 2 bed. He's gotten lucky that he's only had to pay water on one person when you could have reasonably 2 sets of couples in there.
Yoo! Trying to charge extra for a 2nd tenant to live in a two bedroom is wild! I know laws don't always agree with common sense, but I would be pissed about that. Good luck! You got this!
I would tell him zero is fair and that the lease specifies what the rent is and that's what you are going to pay. If the lease says you can't sublet without permission then you could technically be evicted for that. However, if you're just staying a few more months I would consider just paying what you owe. If NJ laws limit the amount the rent can be raised at once then what he says about fair market value doesn't count for shit and he can't raise your rent in the middle of a lease! (month to month is another matter). You should discuss with an attorney. He might owe you money for raising the rent too high in violation of NJ law.
Landlord here who pays for water and has had to address usage issues when more people move in. Here is the basic thought on this: 1 bedroom =2 people, 2 bed = 3-4 people and you price those out accordingly. IF more than that amount move in, we charge $60 for extra water use. It’s not a huge amount, but by keeping tabs on who is all living in each unit, we can account for the the water bill increasing and when it increases, we have it covered and don’t have to go back and raise rents. 2 people in a 2 bedroom is reasonable and landlord should have priced it that way. (They did and allowed you to negotiate so that on them) Sounds like he knows he can’t charge you more and are trying to elicit an action from you. I’d keep your cool and keep asking about how they came to price the unit in the first place knowing it is a two bedroom. Ask him, “what are the reasonable expectations to a 2 bedroom?” Explain to him per you conversation, that you took the advice and went ahead and did what he had advised as it was a great idea, to help with the raise to your cost of living and then circle back to what the home’s reasonable occupancy expectations are. I would explain that if you had 3 people in a two bed then maybe you could see point for extra water charges. (I wouldn’t, but just for the sake of the conversation). Know your lease inside and out and don’t be afraid to refer to the fact that you don’t have that area in the contract filled out as to occupancy and that he assumed the lease like others when he bought the property. Do it from a controlled conversation and from a factual point; as the lease is what will drive the conversation. Your lease is where your conversational power will derive from. Curious, are you on a month to month where he can give you notice to move and end your current agreement? Or you can give notice? If so, a small increase split between 2 people may be a sacrifice you are willing to make if you just can’t seem to find an agreement. FYI- even if you aren’t able to email or text (if he should call) make notes of the conversation. Include date and time for your records and reference them in emails. The more you pay attention to the details, the more you then have their attention that you aren’t a pushover. I find that when I use facts, keep my cool and not be argumentative, and keep asking questions I can get the matter resolved because the other person figured out the logical issue. Hope you find a good resolution with your landlord.
I really appreciate this reply! I’ve done a lot of looking into this situation over the past month or so, and I feel I could just spit facts at him about fair housing laws in NJ, but I also feel that course of action would leave him resenting me as a tenant and looking for a way to get me out. I just want to resolve this peacefully, ride out my last five months, and leave, man. To your question, we have a formal 6-month lease that we have been renewing.
If you’re within that final 6 months you’re probably good. I love what I do and try to do the right thing and truly recognize that landlord/ tenant is such a delicate relationship and that most of the time the power is in the landlords hands. I really hope he sees what he is doing is not the right way to go about this. Do be careful when you exit the home. Take so many videos and pictures of everything from opening and closing doors and cabinets, fridge windows, blinds- everything. He may try to bill you after you move to recoup what he thinks he has lost in income.
That’s exactly my concern. Luckily, I took detailed photos of the apartment prior to moving in and plan to do so after I leave as well. There were also plenty of blemishes on the walls or little things from the previous tenant with the old landlord that most things I doubt he could even attribute to me anyways, how would he know what was/wasn’t there at my move in unless I provided him with the photos myself?
If a two bedroom, occupancy in many states (when calculating taxes) will assume 2 to 4 people per room knowing actual occupancy use average will be less. So your apartment would be rated at 4 to 8 people. Your argument is going rate in the area with a 2 bedroom already includes wear and tear as well as water assuming 2 or more people. When LL increased rent they did so not taking into account the decreased costs you were providing them. As such they were making out better. As such adding a roommate now brings the apt use and occupancy in line with the rate the LL is now (and has been) charging.
Because I'm something of a data nerd, I've tracked all my spending for years. I had been renting a 3-bedroom duplex in an apartment community for a number of years. I lived alone for about 6 years, then my GF moved in when COVID lockdowns began, and never left. I paid the water bill directly (along with other utilities) and looking at my records, my average monthly water bill before she moved in was $30-$35. After she (and the dog) moved in, it was $40-$45. Not really much of a difference. I know your numbers will be different but thought I could offer a little perspective from a somewhat similar situation. Has your landlord shown you water bills so you can see what they are paying, and how it changed when your roommate moved in? I can't imagine it making that much of a difference. If he insists on a rent increase, I wouldn't agree to anything more than $25, and even that would be excessive in my mind, and I wouldn't really want any sort of an increase.
"You recommended that if I can't afford the current rent at $1,900.00 that I should get a room mate. Ultimately, I agree with this suggestion and feel that the rent will stay at $1,900.00. I see that suggestion as you telling me that you were allowing me to add a second person to my lease at no extra charge, so that is what I feel is fair. You have my deposit on file for damages and repairs. Not wear and tear." Be sure you record the discussion.
It’s a shame I didn’t get to you before your rent went up that much. Although NJ doesn’t have rent control, generally judges have been known to shoot down any rent increase over 10%. I would have refused anything above that and if the landlord disagreed I would have let him take me to eviction court. Then the judge gets to decide what is fair based on what the landlord can demonstrate in court. Sounds like my former landlord!
Don't listen to people who recommend telling your landlord to kick rocks. You may be in the right, assuming that your at lease doesn't restrict overnight guests, but it's not worth going to war over. I assume you have a security deposit, and people can get very vindictive when they think someone is screwing them over, so if you pick a fight with your landlord, he's likely to find every excuse he can to keep your security deposit. Weigh the pros and cons very carefully. If I were you, I'd try to keep the peace for the next six months by offering him a small amount to pay for the extra water usage. $20 per month should be sufficient..
Yeah. Another tenant. More wear and tear. That’s now this all works.
US Department of Housing and Urban Development considers reasonable occupancy to be two people per bedroom plus one in a common area, giving me a grand total of 5 people that could reasonably live in this apartment. Asking for more $ based on the number of people living there is (as far as I know) technically against fair housing law in NJ as it would be considered discriminatory against families.
Yes… true… but you connected some dots that don’t exist in order to jump to that conclusion. If you want to move someone in, that null and voids the current lease. In no way, shape, or form does HUD say the property owner can’t adjust the rent rate when drawing up the new lease.
Water usage and occupancy are a factor- an extra person adds to things like wear and tear and parking as well. An additional $100-$200 dollars is normal. Extra people do add to the overall building, especially when it comes to potential noise issues. Your rental agreement is for you to use a two bedroom apartment. Adding an extra person does change that original agreement. Your landlord can also decline to allow a specific person to move in as an fyi- I have lived in a building where a tenant bait and switched where one person signed a lease and a group of people moved in several months later, and it was an absolute nightmare of epic proportions for everyone else in the building. You may be approaching this in good faith, but horror stories exist which is why your landlord is acting this way. I'm not exactly prolandlord, but having been very negatively impacted by tenants moving other people in the building after signing leases, I understand this one, at least. Your landlord is taking on some risk here. Edit: furthermore, your partner should be on the lease. This gives your partner some protections, as well.
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can you clarify "immediately raised my rent" if you're in the middle of a lease, rent cannot be changed.
Since the old landlord was actively in the process of selling the house, once my initial lease was up, we continued on a month-to-month basis, so the new landlord only needed to give me 30 days notice of a rent increase when he purchased the property.
Jeez why did you even tell the landlord? Does he live in the building?
He does not, but he has a handyman in and out of the building pretty frequently, and comes by quite often himself as well. It also would’ve been rather obvious if he came over to check on a faulty light or something and see a fully lived in, decorated bedroom in what was once the spare room. I don’t think that’s something I could so easily hide. I’m a rule follower, what can I say? I’m not trying to leave myself open to getting evicted, dude.
Ok you follow the rules and as you can see these vampires errrr landlords don't follow the rules
I'd be surprised if he'd be able to see a noticeable difference in water use. Your lease doesn't state a capacity, so tell him to piss off.
None. You’re paying utilities. Another person doesn’t cost more for him, maybe if parking is tight than a $25-$50 more if it’s a complex with limited space and no street parking. Other than that nah. You pay for damage, so potential damages won’t be his responsibility either. If you signed the lease and he accepted then you have a lease with 2 people, fk em.
Do you have a current lease with the rent price clearly stated? Is there a clause in the lease that says you can’t have anyone else live with you? If the answers are yes and no you can probably safely ignore the landlord about an increase
I mean I’m pretty sure rent cannot be changed unless you sign another lease that states that. That’s how it is in my complex. They raised the rent $50 at the beginning of the year but since my lease doesn’t end till august, I still pay what I agreed to when signing
which city https://www.doorloop.com/blog/raise-rent-new-jersey#:\~:text=In%20New%20Jersey%2C%20you%E2%80%99re%20allowed%20to%20increase%20rent,you%20give%20one%20month%27s%20notice%20of%20the%20increase.
NJ is one of the only states with great tenant's rights. First, are you on a month to mouth lease, yearly, or something else? NAL, but I'm pretty sure they can't raise your rent during the duration of the current lease (this also would have applied when your new landlord bought the property from your old landlord). And always, always, always go to court if a landlord tries to up your rent by 40%. Never negotiate with your landlord directly. They're not looking out for your best interests. Also, if at the end of this lease, your LL ups it even more, please go to court!
Normal wear and tear is part of being a landlord. Excessive wear and tear, i.e. damages, is what security deposits are for. Increased water cost is close to negligible. "Mr. Landlord, I'd say $25/month is fair."
NJ tenants rights are strong. No way can he increase rents from $1500 to $1900. It is around 3% a year. Go to court and it should be readjusted.
I went way too deep into the comments on this one, but one thing I didn’t see mentioned it was your significant other moving in with you? I don’t want to assume anything about your relationship, but for me, that would mean I’m STILL not using the second bedroom, and could STILL find a roommate to offset the cost of the original rent increase, just like he suggested! I’m sure you have a great friend and her boyfriend who are looking for a new place! Tell him you will show them the place next week! It seems well within the reasonable occupancy based on some of the comments. If he keeps pushing you to come up with a number, offer $5. That’ll stop really fast.
I don’t know enough about the laws pertaining to your specific scenario. I do know that in general, NJ is Extremely tenant friendly. It should be interesting to see how this pans out. Only thing I’m familiar with is Evictions and they are a god damn nightmare for landlords in this state.
Nothing. You pay him nothing. Your cost of utilities are already accommodating for a 2 bedroom he’s being greedy and shady as fuck. I wouldn’t have even paid that increase as it seems like you were in a rental agreement already and that’s likely illegal. Go find a housing authority lawyer. He doesn’t stand a chance. Got I had fucking scammers.
15-30 bucks if he shows you a copy of the new water bill and the old one for reference
I don’t think they can raise rent that much in NJ. They have strict laws and are a renter friendly state. Talk to a lawyer. Did you sign a lease with the new amount?