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 Chinatown or North Beach better to live in?

Based on building quality data, North Beach has a slight edge with an average score of 81 compared to 76. However, both neighborhoods have excellent options.

Which has more rent controlled apartments: Chinatown or North Beach?

North Beach has more likely rent controlled buildings (98%) compared to Chinatown (98%). SF rent control applies to buildings built before 1979.

StreetSmart/SF/Compare/Chinatown vs North Beach

Chinatown vs North Beach

Data-driven neighborhood comparison based on 1712 buildings

Chinatown

avg score (729 buildings)

North Beach

avg score (983 buildings)

⭐ Higher Rated

Side-by-Side Comparison

Metric

Chinatown

North Beach

⭐Average Score

81✓

📊Median Score

78.811

82.723✓

🏠Rent Controlled (Pre-1979)

98%

🏛️Victorian/Edwardian (Pre-1945)

94%✓

87%

⚠️Avg Open Violations

0.2

🪳Avg Pest Violations

0.5

0.3✓

🔥Avg Heat Violations

0.6

0.3✓

🏢Total Buildings (2+ units)

729

983✓

🏆 Best in Chinatown

See all Chinatown buildings →

🏆 Best in North Beach

See all North Beach buildings →

📋 The Verdict

North Beach has a slight edge with an average building score of 81 compared to 76. However, both neighborhoods have excellent buildings, so focus on finding the right specific building rather than ruling out either area entirely.

Choose Chinatown if you want: