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 Noe Valley or Nob Hill better to live in?

Based on building quality data, Noe Valley has a slight edge with an average score of 84 compared to 76. However, both neighborhoods have excellent options.

Which has more rent controlled apartments: Noe Valley or Nob Hill?

Nob Hill has more likely rent controlled buildings (98%) compared to Noe Valley (97%). SF rent control applies to buildings built before 1979.

StreetSmart/SF/Compare/Noe Valley vs Nob Hill

Noe Valley vs Nob Hill

Data-driven neighborhood comparison based on 3154 buildings

Noe Valley

avg score (1927 buildings)

⭐ Higher Rated

Nob Hill

avg score (1227 buildings)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Metric

Noe Valley

Nob Hill

⭐Average Score

84✓

📊Median Score

85.074✓

79.964

🏠Rent Controlled (Pre-1979)

97%

98%✓

🏛️Victorian/Edwardian (Pre-1945)

79%

93%✓

⚠️Avg Open Violations

0.1✓

0.4

🪳Avg Pest Violations

0.1✓

0.8

🔥Avg Heat Violations

0.1✓

1.6

🏢Total Buildings (2+ units)

1927✓

1227

🏆 Best in Noe Valley

See all Noe Valley buildings →

🏆 Best in Nob Hill

#31740 LEAVENWORTH ST

92.944

#41734 LEAVENWORTH ST

92.82

#51041 A BROADWAY

92.649

See all Nob Hill buildings →

📋 The Verdict

Noe Valley has a slight edge with an average building score of 84 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 Noe Valley if you want: