Landlord wants to raise rent by $100 a month. Do these numbers sound fair?

Submitted by Ill_Temperature_4654 t3_11e0iib in rva

I’m in a 3 br 1 ba single family in Lakeside. The house is dated but appliances aren’t. No dishwasher or microwave. We are soon ending our first year in the house. We have had zero issues and have never had to contact the management company (or be contacted).

Current Rent: $1795 per month Pet Rent: $80 per month BS mandatory fee for air filters: $30 per month

Total: $1905. New total will be $2005

When we moved in this place was our only option. We were coming from out of state and had to do everything remotely and had time constraints for work. We weren’t happy with the fees they charged us upfront either:

Credit Check: $75 per person Non refundable application fee: $400! Non refundable pet fee: $200 per pet (so $400) Standard security deposit

We noticed these fees were higher than other companies but we really had no choice. In the state we came from, it is very tenant oriented and there are caps on these fees. I’m wondering if it’s the same in Virginia?

Can they charge us all of this?

I know everything is expensive now but this is ridiculous. This place has had a new renter every year for the past 3 years. I met the renter from two years ago and they were paying $1300 for rent so I may just be biased and forgetting how quickly the market changed.

Moving so soon would be a huge hassle, we love the location, and we don’t want to have to pay all the crap fees again somewhere else. The cost is really pushing our budget already and on principle this feels like we’re being taken advantage of. I’m thinking the company doesn’t care because it’s a win win if we move, they’ll just gain all those fees from someone else and raise the rent any way.

Feel free to tell me I’m being ridiculous and everything adds up.

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Gloomy-Pattern-3302 t1_jaby6su wrote

There is no rent control in Virginia. Therefore, there is no limit on rent increases a landlord can impose, but they must give a 30-day written notice of the increase.

I live in a huge 3 bdrm/3bath loft downtown for $1512. Its in my lease that they cant increase for 3 years. The 1 bdrm across the street is $1700. I cant imagine moving in these times. You're lucky its only $100. Ive seen up to 30% increases with no amenity changes.

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Gothmom85 t1_jacl16u wrote

You've gotten an absolute Steal

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fusion260 t1_jad4f18 wrote

Yeah, same.

I leased a gorgeous 1,850 sq. ft. 2/2 loft in Shockoe Bottom, with a balcony, and included private off-street parking, and private gym for $1,505/mo. from 2012-2014. That same exact unit is going for around $2,100/mo. now.

A huge 3/3 loft for $1,512/mo. that won't increase for 3 years is ludicrous to me.

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augie_wartooth t1_jaeounm wrote

I feel like this place must be in an area where no one wants to live, or else that rent would be $500-700 higher. The only way the rent is that low is if they couldn’t rent it for more.

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The_Kentwood_Farms t1_jacfo7w wrote

$30 a month for air filters? I've never heard of that one, especially since that size of a house probably has 1 air filter that needs to be changed every 3 months or so.

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Gothmom85 t1_jackysk wrote

I've been seeing this pop up a lot for "property management" companies who are supposed to do everything for the owner like maintenance and repairs.

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Ill_Temperature_4654 OP t1_jacg12k wrote

Yeah that’s exactly what it is. It’s robbery. They send one filter every three months. But they put it under the guise of this program that you could purchase renters insurance, it helps “build your credit”, which we don’t need, and some coupons or something. And it’s mandatory! Like just make the rent $30 more if you want the money that bad.

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DyreTitan t1_jad3oz0 wrote

I will add renters insurance is very helpful but never get it through the company you are renting from.

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Charlesinrichmond t1_jad9nl3 wrote

people should ALWAYS get renters insurance. Saved my butt once.

But they should get it from the same company that does their car insurance.

It's cheap insurance

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Ill_Temperature_4654 OP t1_jadocee wrote

Oh no I got it through my auto insurance. I just thought that if they were mandating $30 a month and it included insurance then it’s not as much of a scam

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lalalinnybug t1_jadoqsz wrote

Is this Dodson? Sounds suspiciously like Dodson

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Ill_Temperature_4654 OP t1_jadptb1 wrote

No! Surprisingly! They were impossible to work remotely. But I had seen similar charges with them.

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Stitchmond t1_jacpttw wrote

They got those gold-framed, diamond-filament, Gucci filters that Aphrodite rubs on her breasts before packaging. They're expensive.

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Charlesinrichmond t1_jad9gie wrote

with pets people should really change filter once a month. But people are horrible about it. I have come across some amazingly bad filters. I used to think the filter change fee was nuts, but the repairs I've seen are starting to justify it.

And gas and labor cost money. Now in apt buildings much less justification

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CrowMiller t1_jad6sgt wrote

My apt in Manchester has it too. It’s required and charged as “Tenant Convenience” lmao

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The_Kentwood_Farms t1_jad789b wrote

What's funny is, if the rent for a place was $10 higher a month and the landlord just had a service send a new filter every 3 months (which is about what it actually costs) I'd be stoked as a tenant that it's something I don't have to worry about it.

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Charlesinrichmond t1_jad9s25 wrote

I pay $25 a filter for the filters in my house, because I have a dog. The 1900s aren't cheap.

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jennbo t1_jaem3dx wrote

they make us do it too, but it's only $10 a month

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panda-attack t1_jabxug5 wrote

A couple things

  1. your application fee was over the legal limit for the state those are capped at $50

  2. Va unfortunately does not have rent caps landlords are only required to keep it at “fair market value” however that is based on the area you live so it isn’t a firm number.

  3. If they aren’t coming in once a month and physically changing the filters themselves that’s another bullshit fee. Most landlord require you to change them yourself.

Whomever you are renting from is fleecing you. I would highly recommend finding a new place.

I would also recommend checking your area for fair market values.

Best of luck to you because what they are trying to do is just ridiculous.

Edit: fixed the price. Shouldn’t do things when I get off work🤦🏻‍♀️

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f3th t1_jacld7m wrote

This Code of Virginia website says the application fee limit is $50. Where are you getting $65?

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Ill_Temperature_4654 OP t1_jac0tp1 wrote

Thanks so much for validating my thoughts. Do you know how to go about finding fair market value? Is there any sort of data base for what’s being rented currently?

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Antique-Zucchini3250 t1_jact58x wrote

We ended up having a couple of properties that we rent. What you describe feels immoral to me, but in landlord discussion groups, they seem to have this obsession with "market value", which is an unfair simplification of things (not to mention fully ignores the supplier's role in tacitly agreeing with other suppliers to inflate the value and then blame "the system" when questioned).

Unless you find someone decent and who willfully chooses to reject all that rhetoric (people on that side like to act like they have no choice over pricing, yet we have been charging well below market value in our rentals and haven't gone bankrupt or had any catastrophes happen in almost a decade), chances are it will be difficult to find a fair price. Because a ton of greedy people gravitate towards renting, since the are almost no protections to the renters.

Your best bet will be small landlords (who usually make a living other way and happen to have a side thing with rentals). Word of mouth is best, in my experience.

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panda-attack t1_jadobj8 wrote

This should help

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Ill_Temperature_4654 OP t1_jadpi13 wrote

Thanks! I’ll look at it later today. Is there a standard way of asking for the application fee to be returned or would that have to go through small claims?

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panda-attack t1_jadthco wrote

I would ask your PM for a break down of what the specificities of the application fee were and consult a lawyer about it.

Something doesn’t add up but I’m not a lawyer so me advising you taking it to small claims on your own would be unwise.

I will say that someone earlier posted a link to VA code and I would dig through that as well

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SlowInvestor t1_jac8ycm wrote

Look up your place on Zillow. Look closely as it usually lists a Rent Zestimate. Also check Rentometer.com

As for the fees they are way high. Who’s the PM?

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chasetwisters t1_jacm03j wrote

Zestimates have become crap. There are three well kept, near identical houses in my neighborhood that range from $170k to $512k in their Zestimate.

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Charlesinrichmond t1_jada78z wrote

it would be great if zillow rent zestimates worked. But they are utter crap.

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augie_wartooth t1_jad194g wrote

The fair market value thing is a useless rule. If someone will pay it, it’s market value. The $65 (or $50, per state law, not sure where $65 comes from) is application fee ONLY, and doesn’t include credit/background/other checks.

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panda-attack t1_jadqnon wrote

They were charged separately for a credit check. Background checks aren’t that expensive.

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augie_wartooth t1_jadrkrj wrote

The law says the landlord can charge any “reasonable” expenses above $50. If the application fee was truly $400, that’s unreasonable, but I suspect they had to pay $75 for application and credit check and $400 to hold the place. My last landlord did this and it’s unfortunately legal. With all those fees it’s unsurprising if it’s not clear what they’re all for.

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panda-attack t1_jadsfm4 wrote

It was posted that they paid $75 per person for credit checks. $200 per person for pet fees, then $400 for the application fee, plus a standard security deposit.

Your security deposit is what secures the apartment, which means assuming there are two humans there is $300 in fees from that application fee that is going to background checks

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soundchkr t1_jad34i9 wrote

This is a good point. You can use Zillow and apartments.con to find out what your market value is based on zip code or even comparing other rentals within blocks of your current address. A 3/1 should NEVER cost $2K especially in lakeside unless somehow it’s 2000 sqft with a big yard and deck. Not to mention a DISHWASHER.

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sirensinger17 t1_jac3evv wrote

$2000 a month for no dishwasher or microwave?!?!?!? WTF?

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augie_wartooth t1_jaccaly wrote

I’ll preface this by saying that your landlord is nickel and diming you and that really sucks, but is common. The short answer to “can they charge us this?” is “yes.”

Raising the rent by $100 isn’t out of step with what’s common and is allowed by law, and I honestly don’t think your rent seems that high these days, especially for a house in Lakeside.

You’ll also never be able to prove what fair market value of the house is; landlords can basically charge whatever someone will rent it for. Any landlord will just decline to renew your lease if you try because there are next to no tenant protections in Virginia. Technically that could be considered retaliation for asserting your rights under the landlord tenant act, but good luck proving it.

All of this is to say that you may pay less with another landlord, but with the vacancy rate what it is, especially in your area, you should probably stay put unless you have other issues with them.

ETA certainly look around, but I don’t think you’ll do that much better.

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skinnylynnie80 t1_jacjlvo wrote

It sounds to me like the management company is the one doing the nickle and dimeing. They are the ones that are keeping these ridiculous fees. Former landlord here. When I interviewed management companies I purposely chose one that was not charging lots of fees to tenant. As a former landlord, I would much prefer to have a good tenant stay then deal with the unknown of a new tenant and the turnover costs.

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bkemp1984Part2 t1_jacmr8g wrote

We wanna temporarily relocate somewhere else but keep our house to come back to. It'd be so nice to use a company while we're gone but I just dont trust any of them.

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PopularMedicinetoday t1_jacygly wrote

If you want to message me feel free. I have rental (well sold all but one now) and manage my own and have thought about managing for others.

My motto is “don’t call me” and the only way to achieve that is by doing things correctly in the first place. If you do it right the first time then you did quality work and it pays dividends long term, that includes finding tenants, contracts, fixing stuff, and just overall not being a nickel and dime kindof guy. My rentals are in Jackson ward.

If we cross paths great but if not good luck my friend!

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Charlesinrichmond t1_jad9v65 wrote

Most suck.

I know of someone who rented from Blue Dog without issue fwiw

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bkemp1984Part2 t1_jadb6zs wrote

Yeah, I planned to look around a bit but not going to put much effort into it. I've assumed that to not be a part of the problem I'll need to manage it myself. Don't wanna be a shitty landlord, but people also like to forget there is no shortage of shitty tenants, so we'll see if we last as the managers.

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Charlesinrichmond t1_jadczer wrote

that one gets thoroughly ignored. The things I've seen... I'd say there are as many shitty tenants as shitty landlords out there.

Oftentimes people rent to a friend undermarket to avoid the disaster. But make sure its a real friend, I've heard of disasters there too

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bkemp1984Part2 t1_jaduu5b wrote

Right, letting property you own can easily result in greed, but not wanting to pay for things even if it's your fault as a tenant is just another form of greed. Someone can sign the cleaning checklist at move-in, not even attempt half the things at move-out, and then automatically expect their full deposit. Someone can break things and we let it slide and then one time we charge them, we're just a greedy landlord.

We don't struggle with pests much, but everyone assumes pests are just the fault of the dwelling when it's like are you leaving food all over the place? Are you not telling me about a water leak because it seems small and now it's attracting pests? And the stuff people think you can flush is mind blowing. No, sorry, you can't dispose of kitty litter or that massive ball of hair you combed out. Or people still somehow think flushing paper towels is OK. We talk to people about it before move-in, it's in the lease, and still we're amazed by the new things people come up to try and fit down a toilet. But if it's clogged, it's the plumbing's fault and the owner should pay.

My dream renter is a dual income family with kids. Two sources of income, reason to stay for a while.

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Feisty-Reward t1_jabskx1 wrote

$2005 for lakeside seems insanely high. Y’all must have a massive backyard.

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Ill_Temperature_4654 OP t1_jabswze wrote

Yeah that’s what I thought. There is rarely anything to rent so I can’t compare. We do have a big yard but it’s not very functional unfortunately. It’s on an extreme slope with major dips.

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SilentSlayz t1_jackckr wrote

$30 for air filters a month?! That’s being greedy

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bruxalle t1_jacpae2 wrote

Being a landlord is being greedy.

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Asterion7 t1_jac7bya wrote

Tough choice..I would look for a better deal. But keep in mind you would have to pay significantly less a month to offset the cost of moving.

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nitsual912 t1_jaceyqc wrote

This was my thought. You may get back some of your security deposit, but, do the math regarding the amount of time it will take you to pack and unpack, plus the movers - whether you hire someone, or get friends to help. Whether you’ll need different/new furniture/etc. Moving is expensive, and $100/month increase in the market right now isn’t terrible.

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Ill_Temperature_4654 OP t1_jacykyr wrote

Yeah I agree. I think it is just the last straw for us. We still haven’t decided if we’ll move but I wanted to hear what every one thought

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Charlesinrichmond t1_jadai6j wrote

in fairness, moving is an utter pain in the ass, but has never cost me that much to do myself.

Aside from mental anguish and an ill spent weekend.

Real expense if one pays though

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freetimerva t1_jac934n wrote

Keep looking. They already stole from you with the application fees.

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Individual_Place_728 t1_jac6zs0 wrote

I think I would be looking around for another place to live. All those “fees”, no.

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Ill_Temperature_4654 OP t1_jacfjlz wrote

Yeah we’re not happy about it but so many other places are still charging crazy fees, just not this high. So if we stay we’re at least only out the one time.

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Individual_Place_728 t1_jacqj17 wrote

I was renting a few years ago and the rent kept going up… I finally had enough and moved elsewhere. But, I get what you’re saying. Housing and what they are charging is way out of control.

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NutDraw t1_jacscdd wrote

I know someone who had their rent hiked nearly $500 last year (50% increase). By some standards that's a pretty reasonable hike all things considered.

The other stuff is some shady nickle and time stuff for sure, but just putting it in perspective.

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Ill_Temperature_4654 OP t1_jacyqip wrote

Yeah I agree it’s not the worst but to us it’s just that final straw of their nickel and diming. I’m glad people are validating what I’ve been thinking

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PeppyMinotaur t1_jad1zkq wrote

The nickel and diming is obnoxious but the rising rent seems fairly reasonable. I own a home on southside and my mortgage has increased $250 a month since I bought it in 2020 from real estate increase

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Chickenmoons t1_jacg35l wrote

The apartments Lakeside are cheaper than that. This landlord sucks big time.

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RVA_Lakeside t1_jacna0a wrote

I think I can guess the property manager. Trust me when it comes to the $30 for the "Resident Benefit Package" - save your breath because you're not getting out of it with them.

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Ill_Temperature_4654 OP t1_jacyfg0 wrote

Yeah I tried. I’ve seen a few places do it now since continuing my search. I’m thinking it’s a way for the tenant to pay for the payment portal for the company but they soon it as in all these benefits to you. Originally they said renters insurance was covered in it but then back tracked and said you could buy renters insurance

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AccidentallyTaschen t1_jacz6m7 wrote

$100 increase is pretty tame these days, unfortunately

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fusion260 t1_jad54te wrote

It might also be the difference between the landlord considering staying a landlord and continuing to rent the house out or selling it and getting out of it entirely.

An extra $1,200 is a fairly small amount when it comes to the headache around real estate, home maintenance, increased taxes, and (optionally) property management.

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John316bro t1_jad0426 wrote

Is this a Pollard & Bagby property? It sounds like those incompetent snakes.

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Charlesinrichmond t1_jadatf2 wrote

they are awful

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John316bro t1_jadcrtw wrote

Currently in one of their bulidings. A Squalid Walid building too. Every week theres someone moving out.

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EdnaPontellier19 t1_jacix4l wrote

I've been looking around for 3 bedrooms and it's tough, especially for houses. I've held on to my apartment for 5 years now because I've never found anything else I could afford. Rent went up $100 last year and I'm looking for a better paying job so that I can afford to eat and live indoors if/when it goes up in a few months.

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GMUcovidta t1_jactryr wrote

I'd be grateful for a $100 increase.... that's low

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ediblerice t1_jacyih1 wrote

I know you'd rather not move, but have you thought of just buying a house? Especially if you're already paying so much for rent.

Going over $2k/month in Lakeside for a 3/1 that isn't remodeled seems high... But something is worth what someone is willing to pay.

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Ill_Temperature_4654 OP t1_jacz5ir wrote

Yes we have been considering it. It seems like the market has cooled down and right now isn’t the worst time to buy. Our hold up is that there is a potential for our jobs to be finished here this winter or next summer so we were already on the fence about signing another year lease. If we buy we’d only be in it for max two years and then we would be renting it out too! Not sure we want to take on the pain of it but it’s hard paying someone else’s mortgage.

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ediblerice t1_jaczifg wrote

And if you have your own rental, you could continue the tradition of BS fees, or be the cool landlords you wish you had. Haha

If you're interested in looking at buying, feel free to send me a message. I'm a licensed Realtor. I have extensive knowledge of Lakeside. (I manage 3 rentals in there too, but we charge more fair rent so nobody is even thinking of moving out!)

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J-Colio t1_jacz4sz wrote

100 out of a 1,900 rent really isn't that bad. My first year in a 1b1ba apartment in Glen Allen they tried to raise me from 1,100ish to over 1,200. I talked to a person in the front office and they changed it to like 3-5% and that was the yearly adjustment percentages they sent me the next 2 years I lived there.

With my case, my rent went towards front office staff, maintenance staff, landscaping staff as well as costs of the property. All of those staff expect annual raises. You should expect an annual rent increase if for nothing else for property taxes. Have you seen some of the posts on here of how much people's property taxes jumped?

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fusion260 t1_jad4t84 wrote

Doubtful that landlord's property taxes increased that much. Our latest assessment in Lakeside only increased 9% in the last year and added $109 to our taxes for the entire year.

Unless that home's value jumped up significantly due to improvements and nearby sales, it's unlikely it was due to the taxes.

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wabatt t1_jae2nvd wrote

I think you could definitely do better. 2k in rent to live in lakeside sounds crazy to me. Be better off just buying a house there at that rate.

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Ill_Temperature_4654 OP t1_jae3yfi wrote

Yeah I agree. Unfortunately we were in a bind when we moved in during the peak of the house crisis last year. Now that we have more options we are trying to explore other ideas

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DrunkonKoolAid t1_jad0ghl wrote

https://richmondtenantsunion.org/

Here is a resource. Not sure what the sitch is but having rented out our old house years ago the going rent rate is twice the mortgage so in most cases, owners don't want to absorb extra costs.

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abouttofallyall t1_jad4osh wrote

Mine went up $450 last year- I looked and there really aren’t any protections for renters in this case. I’d love to be wrong, so please tell me if I am, but we had to just deal or move. My research didn’t provide any helpful recourse.

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Sweet_Oakley9235 t1_jae9hy9 wrote

Does anyone know if the $50 maximum fee in VA also applies to tenant swaps? I was charged $60 for a tenant swap (A new roommate moved in the same month the lease renewed, so we had to sign a new lease regardless of the tenant swap) and a $15 fee for the lease renewal.

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Cautious_Year t1_jaeadt1 wrote

Even in this market, this is bull shit.

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jennbo t1_jaem1ae wrote

I'm on the Henrico side of Lakeside near Chamberlayne and I'm paying $1550 a month for a 4br2.5bath home with a huge backyard. Our landlord is through Mission Realty Property Management.

Rent is going up everywhere, but I think it can be priced more fairly if people organize and rise up. I will not be moving from my location until we finally have enough to buy.

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lavahound9890 t1_jacyhpi wrote

I rented an apartment for 1700 per month but as I can see the rent for similar apartment units in the same community is around 1400 right now. Is there any way I can get my rent down? I signed one year lease and that will be over by July.

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Charlesinrichmond t1_jadawl8 wrote

yeah. Bring that up to the management company. You sound like you are in a good position to negotiate

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gideon513 t1_jadkb1z wrote

LOL @ $30/month for air filters. What a scam!

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Ill_Temperature_4654 OP t1_jadp297 wrote

I know 😭 they’re forcing me to pay $90 for an air filter! I’m starting to suspect that it is paying for the payment portal where I do online payments. But I don’t see why they don’t just roll it into the rent and don’t tell me

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Ultimas134 t1_jaerq1p wrote

Nah that’s way too high. You could buy a house and save hundreds a month

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Charlesinrichmond t1_jad98fc wrote

$100 rent raise sounds fair, but the rest of those fees are kind of crazy high, not normal to my mind. I do get the filter fee (no one changes them!) and the pet fee, but the application fees are nuts.

Look around to see what else is out there. This seems high

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Proper-Ad4006 t1_jadbei3 wrote

$80 a month pet rent is steep. A lot of places charge $25ish. I've paid $40 before and felt like I was hugely overpaying.

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Charlesinrichmond t1_jadcrbc wrote

My dog has done thousands of damage to my house. And that doesn't even include hidden damages to my Fridge/compressors etc.

Pets cause real wear and tear, most of which owners don't notice

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Ill_Temperature_4654 OP t1_jadoo69 wrote

Honestly the pet rent doesn’t bother me as much as the $200 per pet non refundable fee up front. I would have been fine with it being a security deposit but non refundable plus rent kind of burns me up

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Proper-Ad4006 t1_jads4qg wrote

Yikes $200 upfront and $80 a month? When I paid $40, there was nothing upfront. Everywhere I've lived where I paid $200-$250 upfront, that's when it's been $25 monthly. You're getting a shitty deal

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Ill_Temperature_4654 OP t1_jae3quk wrote

Yep I know. It’s $40 a month and $200 fee but I have two pets. It’s painful. And the house already had pet damage so it’s not like they even cared to use the last persons money towards that.

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Spirited-Eye-2733 t1_jae8pv0 wrote

I have to agree with this. So I live in Midlothian and had previously looked at places in Scotts Addition and the fan. I also live in a large complex, not small privately owned apartment.

My rent over a year ago was $1325 for 880 square feet. 1 bedroom 1 bath, patio, high ceilings, dishwasher, microwave, a large island, and everything is pretty new as the complex was built in 2019ish. Rent has now gone up an additional $200 (which is fair given inflation, and a typical amount for renewals). Just for comparison, a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom is $2095-$3425 and all are 1,500 square feet - with all the same amenities as mine.

Our additional fees:

  • pet owners pay $25 a month, there is also an upfront fee that’s no refundable which is crazy. I want to say it’s $200
  • mandatory trash collection (they pickup your trash bags outside of your apartment) $8
  • Options for a storage center and a few others that I don’t use , but are offered

Square footage DEFINITELY matters when considering how much you’re paying for your space. Which is why I stayed away from apartments in Scotts and other Richmond areas. They were asking the same price (and often more) for 500-700 square feet.

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[deleted] t1_jacc4tz wrote

[deleted]

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augie_wartooth t1_jace3de wrote

Fair and legal are two totally different things. Most of what landlords do is unfair, but what matters for tenants is whether it’s ultimately legal, since that’s what affects whether they can actually do anything about it.

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[deleted] t1_jacliaw wrote

[deleted]

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augie_wartooth t1_jad1nfn wrote

Then why conflate them? People are downvoting you because the first part of the comment is unhelpful.

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Ill_Temperature_4654 OP t1_jacfa6m wrote

Yeah I heard of landlords doing it through Zillow and just collecting the application fee and not renting it. I learned to stay away from listings that had hundreds of applications. One reason is what I just said, but the other was that I just couldn’t compete since I was remotely looking.

I’m wondering now if there’s at least a way to get part of my application fee back but I wouldn’t push it until we move out

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