| Are the other tenants paying less rent because the rental market generally is lower than her previous agreement? Her agreement with the landlords is independent from the leases the other tenants have signed. And in my city, if the landlord upgrades something, they are often allowed to pass on the cost to the tenant in the form of higher rent. She may not be able to force them to do anything. it may be that the only thing she can do is find a new apartment., or research the market where she is and offer proof of how much less rent she can pay (and how nice a place she can get) if she does move. Then, she can threaten to move, and tell them she'll stay if they'll give her new carpet, appliances, etc., for the same rent. She can point out that if she DOES move, they'll have to replace the carpet, etc., anyway, to attract a new tenant in that market, and they probably won't get as much money (bcs no other new tenant will pay more than the market rate, esp. not for a worn apt.), plus they'll have down-time when the apartment will be empty between tenants. Then, if they give her new carpet, she can stay; if they don't, she'll have a new place to move to, hopefully w/ newer stuff and a lower rent. The only other regulations you might be able to find are, in my city, there's a regulation that (in bldgs of a certain size) the landlord must paint every so often; there might be one that says carpet must be replaced every 10 years. You might call whatever agency would regulate this in your state or city, and see if they have any info--it will be city or state-specific, and may be buried deeply enough that just talking to someone at the agency will be faster. What state and city does she live in? |
