Twisting Landlord's Arm So Last Year

Finally! The shift in power is here.

Not so long ago, if you asked for a rent reduction your landlord might have hung up on you. Now, with vacancy rates reaching 23-year highs (according to The Wall Street Journal) you, dear renter, have the negotiating equivalent of a circus strongman.

The numbers tell the story. We recently reported that nearly 70 percent of landlords would consider a cut in rent. The National Association of Independent Landlords reports in the Journal that two-thirds of smaller, independent landlords will reduce rents, and, in the last 18 months already, nearly one-third have done so. We aren't talking about "latte-factor" amounts, either.