Rules Regarding Rent Increases
REM # F622
By Ilyce R. Glink
Summary: A reader wonders if their landlord can increase their rent. Ilyce suggests checking with city regulations and the original rental agreement or lease.
Q: I am renting a condominium in Philadelphia. My landlord, the owner of the
unit, intends to increase my rent payment.
Are there any rules that regulate how much the rent rates can be increased and how often? Does it matter if my neighbors pay more than me?
Thank you very much.
A: Typically, large cities have rules that regulate how much landlords can
increase the rent for a tenant in a given year. Often, this is tied to a financial
index, like the Consumer Price Index or it might be a flat rate increase of,
say 4 or 5 percent of the rental amount. So, if you pay $1,000 per month in
rent, and the city, town or village in which you live limits the rent increase
to 5 percent, the most your rent could go up would be $50.
If the city in which you live does not limit the rental increase, you should
then look to your rental agreement. Most leases between a landlord and a renter
spell out how much the rent can be raised at the end of the lease term. Again,
this is typically limited to a few percentage points.
I suggest you read your lease to see what it says about how much the landlord
can raise your rent this year. To find out if your Philadelphia has any rules
and regulations the landlord must follow, contact the Philadelphia Housing Authority,
or city hall.
NOTE: This column is distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate, PO Box 366, Glencoe, Illinois, 60022. This column may not be resold, reprinted, resyndicated or redistributed without written permission from the publisher.
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