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 Fishtown or Kensington better to live in?

Based on building quality data, Fishtown has a slight edge with an average score of 92 compared to 86. However, both neighborhoods have excellent options.

Which has better building conditions: Fishtown or Kensington?

Fishtown has fewer open violations on average (0.7 per building) compared to Kensington (1.3 per building).

StreetSmart/Philadelphia/Compare/Fishtown vs Kensington

Fishtown vs Kensington

Data-driven neighborhood comparison based on 1317 buildings

Fishtown

avg score (537 buildings)

⭐ Higher Rated

Kensington

avg score (780 buildings)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Metric

Fishtown

Kensington

⭐Average Score

92✓

📊Median Score

92.4✓

🏛️Pre-War Buildings

68%

91%✓

⚠️Avg Open Violations

0.7✓

1.3

📋Avg Total Violations

5.3✓

6.4

📞Avg 311 Complaints

1.1

1.0✓

🏢Total Buildings (3+ units)

537

780✓

🏆 Best in Fishtown

#12042-50 FRANKFORD AVE

96.6

#21917-21 E LETTERLY ST

96.4

#31918-20 E CUMBERLAND ST

96.3

#42601-13 EMERALD ST

96.3

#52622-38 KENSINGTON AVE

96.2

See all Fishtown buildings →

🏆 Best in Kensington

See all Kensington buildings →

📋 The Verdict

Fishtown has a slight edge with an average building score of 92 compared to 86. However, both neighborhoods have excellent buildings, so focus on finding the right specific building rather than ruling out either area entirely.

Choose Fishtown if you want: