Guide
A “legal as served” verdict is a change of weapon, not a surrender.
Start from the landlord’s arithmetic, not yours. A vacant unit costs a month or more of rent, cleaning, listing, and risk. A reliable tenant who signs a longer term is worth real money — your negotiation is the act of pricing that out loud.
Term for amount: 24 months at +3% beats 12 at +6% for most owners’ cash flow. Steps for shock: half now, half in six months. Fees for rent: waive the parking or pet fee against the headline number. Comparables for claims: three dated listings of similar homes nearby, attached — fantasy market claims die against arithmetic.
“I can sign a renewal today at $X; at $Y I will have to give notice by [date], and I would rather not.” A deadline you control, a number you chose, and the vacancy cost left for them to compute. The kit’s §8 pack writes the whole exchange out — script, market letter, trades, and the tracker that makes next year’s round start from facts.
Rules checked October 2026