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 Bernal Heights or Mission better to live in?

Based on building quality data, Bernal Heights has a slight edge with an average score of 81 compared to 77. However, both neighborhoods have excellent options.

Which has more rent controlled apartments: Bernal Heights or Mission?

Mission has more likely rent controlled buildings (96%) compared to Bernal Heights (94%). SF rent control applies to buildings built before 1979.

StreetSmart/SF/Compare/Bernal Heights vs Mission

Bernal Heights vs Mission

Data-driven neighborhood comparison based on 5648 buildings

Bernal Heights

avg score (1358 buildings)

⭐ Higher Rated

Mission

avg score (4290 buildings)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Metric

Bernal Heights

Mission

⭐Average Score

81✓

📊Median Score

82.823✓

79.672

🏠Rent Controlled (Pre-1979)

94%

96%✓

🏛️Victorian/Edwardian (Pre-1945)

79%

90%✓

⚠️Avg Open Violations

0.2✓

0.3

🪳Avg Pest Violations

0.2✓

0.5

🔥Avg Heat Violations

0.2✓

0.5

🏢Total Buildings (2+ units)

1358

4290✓

🏆 Best in Bernal Heights

See all Bernal Heights buildings →

🏆 Best in Mission

#11078 A HAMPSHIRE ST

#5160 B SAN CARLOS ST

91.832

See all Mission buildings →

📋 The Verdict

Bernal Heights has a slight edge with an average building score of 81 compared to 77. However, both neighborhoods have excellent buildings, so focus on finding the right specific building rather than ruling out either area entirely.

Choose Bernal Heights if you want: