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 Pacific Heights or Presidio Heights better to live in?

Pacific Heights and Presidio Heights are very similar in building quality, with average scores of 82 and 81 respectively. Your choice should depend on specific preferences like commute, lifestyle, and budget.

Which has more rent controlled apartments: Pacific Heights or Presidio Heights?

Pacific Heights has more likely rent controlled buildings (98%) compared to Presidio Heights (96%). SF rent control applies to buildings built before 1979.

StreetSmart/SF/Compare/Pac Heights vs Presidio Heights

Pacific Heights vs Presidio Heights

Data-driven neighborhood comparison based on 2035 buildings

Pac Heights

avg score (1276 buildings)

Presidio Heights

avg score (759 buildings)

Side-by-Side Comparison

Metric

Pac Heights

Presidio Heights

⭐Average Score

82✓

📊Median Score

84.22✓

82.728

🏠Rent Controlled (Pre-1979)

98%✓

96%

🏛️Victorian/Edwardian (Pre-1945)

86%✓

73%

⚠️Avg Open Violations

0.2

0.1✓

🪳Avg Pest Violations

0.3

0.2✓

🔥Avg Heat Violations

0.5

0.3✓

🏢Total Buildings (2+ units)

1276✓

759

🏆 Best in Pac Heights

See all Pac Heights buildings →

🏆 Best in Presidio Heights

See all Presidio Heights buildings →

📋 The Verdict

Pacific Heights and Presidio Heights are very evenly matched in terms of overall building quality. Both neighborhoods have average scores within a few points of each other. Your decision should come down to other factors like commute time, lifestyle preferences, and specific buildings you find.

Choose Pac Heights if you want: