How do I negotiate lower rent on an apartment?

Use StreetSmart to find building violations and landlord history, then leverage that data in rent negotiations. Buildings with open violations, pest issues, or maintenance problems give you leverage to negotiate 10-20% lower rent. Our free tool shows you exactly what issues exist so you can ask for fair pricing.

Can building violations help me lower my rent?

Yes! Open violations are powerful negotiation leverage. If a building has unresolved code violations, pest complaints, or safety issues, you can use this official data to negotiate lower rent or ask for repairs before signing. Many renters save $100-500/month using this approach.

Is StreetSmart free to use?

Yes, StreetSmart is 100% free with no credit card or sign-up required. You can instantly view building violations, landlord ratings, and use our rent negotiation tools for millions of apartments across 10 major US cities.

What cities does StreetSmart cover?

StreetSmart covers 10 major US cities: New York City (787K+ buildings), Los Angeles (2.2M+ buildings), Chicago (700K+ buildings), San Francisco (200K+ buildings), San Diego (330K+ buildings), Boston (183K+ buildings), Philadelphia (547K+ buildings), Seattle (172K+ buildings), Miami (500K+ buildings), and Austin (33K+ buildings).

How can I tell if my rent is too high?

Search your building on StreetSmart to see violation history, landlord ratings, and compare to similar buildings. If your building has significant issues but charges premium rent, you have grounds to negotiate. Our tools help you make data-backed requests for fair pricing.

Is Hollywood or West Hollywood better to live in?

Based on building quality data, West Hollywood has a slight edge with an average score of 86 compared to 80. However, both neighborhoods have excellent options.

Which has more rent controlled apartments: Hollywood or West Hollywood?

West Hollywood has more RSO-eligible buildings (92%) compared to Hollywood (81%). Note: Independent cities like Santa Monica, West Hollywood, and Beverly Hills have their own rent control laws.

StreetSmart/Los Angeles/Compare/Hollywood vs WeHo

Hollywood vs West Hollywood

Data-driven neighborhood comparison based on 4000 buildings

Hollywood

avg score (2000 buildings)

WeHo

avg score (2000 buildings)

⭐ Higher Rated

Side-by-Side Comparison

Metric

Hollywood

WeHo

⭐Average Score

86✓

📊Median Score

80.5

87.3✓

🏠RSO Eligible (Rent Control)

81%

92%✓

🏛️Pre-1978 Buildings

81%

92%✓

⚠️Avg Open Violations

0.9

0.4✓

📋Avg Total Violations

16.1

6.2✓

🏢Total Buildings (2+ units)

2000

🏆 Best in Hollywood

See all Hollywood buildings →

🏆 Best in WeHo

#39001 SANTA MONICA BLVD

See all WeHo buildings →

📋 The Verdict

West Hollywood has a slight edge with an average building score of 86 compared to 80. However, both neighborhoods have excellent buildings, so focus on finding the right specific building rather than ruling out either area entirely.

Choose Hollywood if you want:

Choose WeHo if you want: