Lease renewals - exchange of SE tenants' experiences to help with landlord negotiations

Hi
I would be interested to share experiences with tenants in SE1 on current rents and possibilities to reduce the rent when negotiating a lease renewal.
For me, it would be a great help to hear what other tenants have experienced during the last months to make sure I am not giving away too much or pushing it too far when I am renegotiating the terms of my lease.

I have a 1 year lease contract for a 2 bedroom apartment near Bermondsey Street which expires end of April.
My last negotiations with my landlord for a 1 year extension resulted in an initial offer c. 7% below the rent that I am currently paying. At the same time, my landlord wanted to delete the break clause (which I think is market standard to have after 6 months?), however my refusal to accept that was successful.

What other costs would I have to pay - will it be standard to involve an agent for the restated lease agreement and would I have to pay a fee for this? How good would be my chances to refuse extra costs?

I hope that this exchange of experiences will not only help me but also many other SE1 tenants - also, I think this might be a good opportunity to see where the rental market in SE1 is going!

Hi Lisa

There was a thread on this topic a short while back: http://www.london-se1.co.uk/forum/read/8/101729/page=1

My feeling is that tenants are in a pretty strong position. Also, one tip: Google the phrase "property bee" and download the software - gives an enlightening idea of how much rents are falling.

Beowulf