[quote author="Cuatro" date=1225158407]It sounds like you took the right steps to finding the best deal.
Managers are held accountable for their occupancy and availability numbers by upper management . They are further held accountable for making sure they keep their property as close to "market rent" as possible. So it's a big balancing act between asking the price they are supposed to, and keeping their building full. Dealing directy with the community manager is best because they call the shots.
Keep everything in perspective. Sad to say, the reality is you don't have them over a barrel - they have you. After all, if they don't negotiate, you are the one hiring the moving company, boxing all your worldly belongings, reasearching new homes, forfeiting a portion of your security deposit for cleaning, and losing at least a weekend of your life. To them, if you leave, you are a number - something they need to try hard to make up for the following week. That's why the "guns-blazing" approach will almost never work.
That said, here's one of the easiest ways to get what you want.
Call your property directly and act like a new move in. The way I would put it is, "I'm interested in a [whatever your apartment type is] for move in WITHIN TWO WEEKS." That last part is crucial because mentioning that time frame will have them quote you vacant apartment special pricing. Anything more than two weeks and they will likely quote you something currently occupied (where the tenant has given a 30 day notice to leave) and the special will not be nearly as appealing. Also, make it clear that price is going to determine whether or not you will visit their property. "I have a list of places I need to call and I only have time to visit a few this weekend. Can I get your pricing and if it's on the better end, I'll call you back to schedule an appointment?" Once quoted the discount rent, ask what the price is normally. Further ask them if they are offering anything off move-in? In MOST cases they will say, "We can offer you $200 off move in if you sign up for our auto debit program and another $100 off move in if you place your hold on your first visit." Those are nothing special, they ALL offer them.
So that will determine what brand new move ins are being offered. Do NOT assume that this is what they feel their renewals are entitled to. Landing a new move in is a NET 1 for the property. Landing a renewal is a NET 0. Sure there is the possibility that you may not renew, but managers/IAC know that moving...is a pain. They also understand that there is a reason why you chose to live here in the first place (see above where SoCal relates that the manager reminded him of how close it is to the kids' school, etc). She went back to the whole, "building value" part of sales and more importantly she was subtly letting SoCal know, "You already like this place...you're not likely to up and move for some unknown over $30/month."
It wouldn't surprise me at all to find some communties out there completely unwilling to negotiate proposed renewal rates, even in this market. To a certain degree there's a slippery slope fear. Neighbors talk to neighbors. If they renew you for a multi-hundred dollar decrease, they KNOW you are going to be so proud of yourself that you will tell everyone you know. Tie that in with a fair housing liability fear..."You gave my neighbor John a huge decrease because he has brown hair and you won't give me the same deal because I have blonde hair...you're a "hair-ist" and I'm suing!" Now their budget is blown because the entire community is in revolt over renewal rates. Therefore, as irrational as it seems, they may see reason to take a hard line and allow you to leave, only to fill your apartment with a new someone paying less.
In the end, your goal should be to get the same deal a new move in would get. But don't let that be the only thing you're willing to settle for unless you are truly willing to walk away. Taking a signed 30 day intent to vacate notice to the office is the rental equivalent of "going all in." It's the last weapon in your arsenal to find out what their true bottom line is and you should only use it if you've done some research on your other options. The best method would probably be to bring it in, ask for a manager, and hand it to him/her saying, "I just want to thank you in person. My family has really enjoyed the time we're spent here." When they ask why you're leaving, "Well we're trying to save to buy a house and we've found [insert the details of the best deal you found], which will save us some money." In most cases they will sit you down and give you their best offers. If they accept your 30 day notice, you should be able to rescind it a few days later.
Finally, when it comes to renewal terms, I recommend taking the longest term possible. Lock in that low rate you just worked hard to negotiate for if you plan on living there a while. Shorter lease terms benefit management by allowing them to raise your rent sooner. You're more likely to get your discounted rent for a 6 month lease than a 16 month lease (try it, just for laughs). Also, imagine sitting down at the table with that same manager just 5 or 6 months down the road telling them again that you want a decrease. Before you know it, this will become a pride issue. "Now we were able to get you that great rate last time along with the short term you wanted. Unfortunately this time around we can't negotaite. You will need to renew at the proposed rate."</blockquote>
Great advice. It all comes down to how willing you are to up and move to a new place to save money. That being said, moving is a pain in the booty even for someone like me who doesn't have a lot of stuff and is single. For me, if I'm not saving more than $100/month then it's not even worth the hassle of packing up and moving. If you like the community, be willing to meet halfway (I was considering on moving and after taking a drive-by a few other complexs I didn't like what I saw) with the manager.
</blockquote>
