Negotiating Rent

[Flat Hunter]

I'll be looking for an apartment in Singapore in the New Year.  I've heard that negotiation/haggling is accepted practice but I don't know what kind of percentage I could hope to knock off the advertised price.
Any advice appreciated.

[cs]

No fixed amount really. I've got two apartments that I am currently renting out. A lot depends on the person looking at the place. The ideal would be a young professional couple. Expect to pay a premium if you have kids or are a couple of guys sharing the place.

Also when looking at the place and discussing the rent, it really pays to be nice. The bulk of people that show up for a viewing have this strange idea that if you try to be clever and say nasty things, you can beat the owner to a pulp and get a lower rent. That never works. From an owner's perspective, if you are nasty now I can imagine the amount of trouble you are going to be if we sign the agreement. Also after having dealt with a whole bunch of smart aleck I-want-it-all's, meeting someone nice and reasonable comes across as a breath of fresh air.    

[CK]

From a rentors perspective ..... Every apartment I looked at (Company lease) I would ask how much is this apartment and the landlord would ask back what is your allowance/budget. I would not be afraid of trying for 30 pct discount to what they are asking for (it cannot hurt trying anyway). Maybe on the lower rents this is out of the question but in the 5000/8000 region I did not have any problem negotiating towards that number. Even in lower price ranges I know of friends renting identical apartments (2 floors apart in Bayshore and rented within a month of each other) and one is paying 1800 whilst the other 2500 - almost 40% more! Its the same as anything - see a lot of places, learn the market and decide yourself how much a place is worth. Just remember there are a lot of empty apartments out there and more being built every day.