I have been renting an apartment for several years. Until recently, I paid 180 euros plus utilities, and the contract was drawn up for that same amount. Recently, the owner raised the price to 200 euros, and when asked about the reason, she replied: "Everything is getting more expensive."
And now I live in fear: what if she shows up tomorrow and raises the price again? As a lonely pensioner, it's not so much the amount that terrifies me, but the very thought of having to move.
I would like to know if there are any regulations regarding how a property owner can increase the rent amount, governed by any legal acts? Must the property owner justify the rent increase — explaining why they are doing it and why by that specific amount? Or is it solely at the discretion of the property owner — whatever amount they set, that's what the tenant must pay? Reader of bb.lv"
Answers by Master of Law Ekaterina Zhukovskaya:
– According to Article 10, Part 3 of the Residential Tenancy Law (Dzīvojamo telpu īres likums), the rent price can only be increased during the term of the contract if such a possibility is stipulated in the contract and in the manner specified in the contract.
In other words, if the contract is, for example, concluded for one year, then during that year the price cannot change unless the contract states otherwise.
However, after a year, the terms of the previous contract no longer apply — accordingly, the owner and tenant should negotiate again. In the new contract, the owner indeed has the right to change the terms, including setting a different rent amount, specifying a more frequent review period, and so on.
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