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 Inner Richmond or Outer Richmond better to live in?

Based on building quality data, Inner Richmond has a slight edge with an average score of 85 compared to 82. However, both neighborhoods have excellent options.

Which has more rent controlled apartments: Inner Richmond or Outer Richmond?

Inner Richmond has more likely rent controlled buildings (94%) compared to Outer Richmond (89%). SF rent control applies to buildings built before 1979.

StreetSmart/SF/Compare/Inner Richmond vs Outer Richmond

Inner Richmond vs Outer Richmond

Data-driven neighborhood comparison based on 5956 buildings

Inner Richmond

avg score (2179 buildings)

⭐ Higher Rated

Outer Richmond

avg score (3777 buildings)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Metric

Inner Richmond

Outer Richmond

⭐Average Score

85✓

📊Median Score

86.056✓

83.577

🏠Rent Controlled (Pre-1979)

94%✓

89%

🏛️Victorian/Edwardian (Pre-1945)

81%✓

65%

⚠️Avg Open Violations

0.1

🪳Avg Pest Violations

0.1

🔥Avg Heat Violations

0.2

🏢Total Buildings (2+ units)

2179

3777✓

🏆 Best in Inner Richmond

See all Inner Richmond buildings →

🏆 Best in Outer Richmond

See all Outer Richmond buildings →

📋 The Verdict

Inner Richmond has a slight edge with an average building score of 85 compared to 82. However, both neighborhoods have excellent buildings, so focus on finding the right specific building rather than ruling out either area entirely.

Choose Inner Richmond if you want: