As a landlord who privately manages a residential rental, more than house maintenance impacts rental increases. I have over the years had various types of renters and yes have kept rents lower than market to keep good tennents who always pay on time and care for the property. However most landlords have their own financial pressures with a mortgage on the property that may not be covered with the rent income. This is a common investment strategy. They also pay rates and insurance out of their own money. Our house is a modest home built in the 1950s, it is solid and functional, we have had tennents who expect us to upgrade the home to a more modern standard despite taking the lease at the price offered with the house as is. Of course all repairs are done in a timely manner but improvements and upgrades are not part of the deal guys. If you want improvements be prepared to negotiate and pay toward the upgrade – this would go a long way to ensure rents remain at the same level, landlords are not the enemy, develop a relationship, be a great tennent and they will want to keep you!

That’s a crazy amount if rental increase! Definitely talk to consumer affairs

If you think you are not treated right contact fair trading.

Renters have right so maybe reach out to support services?

contact fair training or the tenants union to ask for advice

Legally they can increase the rent especially if your contract has expired or up for renewal.

I contact the real estate institute in my state and ask their advice and I let the landlord/real estate know that I have contacted them.

There are different rules for each state but they all have a governing body you can contact for advice. Definitely have them make repairs though that’s in their best interest too I don’t know why landlords wouldn’t want to make repairs as required. I’d contact the governing body in your state and have a chat.

Your situation will change depending on which state/territory you’re in. I would get advice first; there’s usually a consumer body specifically for renters. If not, go to consumer affairs and ascertain your rights.

Yes I live in a rental property and have just resigned a new lease only for them to increase it a further $20 a week

I called Consumer Affairs to ask if my landlord is allowed to increase the rent twice in as many years. They said that they legally can, but if I felt that the increase is above a valid rent for the property, it’s condition and the area/market that I was in, they can send out an assessor to make a judgement. One quick look at comparible rentals in my area and I knew that they would likely agree with the landlord, as it was still cheap compared to other 2 bedroom properties in the area. So I didn’t take it any further.

I believe each state is different as to what a landlord can and cannot do in regards to rent increases. Checking your state’s tenancies department would be your first step and I find ours usually helpful, thought somewhat powerless. They’ll tell you what is and isn’t allowed at the very least, as well as a way forward. Times are currently in the favour of landlords unfortunately and a 10% rise compared to some is actually quite modest. We are potentially facing a 15-20% rise at our next contract renewal after a previous rise last time. The question of repairs is a separate issue to rent rises, landlords have certain responsibilities and again tenancies is your best bet there as different states may be different on this aspect as well. They generally speaking would be required to provide a safe premises as a minimum. Logically they should also maintain the property, but outside of tenancies definition this can get a little hazy as to what that means. Some landlords are reasonable and some are not. I’m not sure why anyone would want to let their asset lose value by not maintaining it, but they’re out there!
I would be careful in demanding maintenance because of a rent rise, they likely have the right to raise it (as much as I might disagree with the greed out there at the moment) but if there are maintenance issue that they are required to address I would take action on that separately (again referring to tenancies to understand requirements).
As a safe backup for you (and I’m unsure of the region you are in but things are tight everywhere pretty much) I would consider if there are other rental options and what price they are. It will tell you if their rent rise is reasonable but also should they randomly decide not to allow you continue on after the contract ends, you have somewhere to live. Some of this doesn’t sound fair but in current times of low rental availability and high cost of rentals, you need to be smart in whichever way you approach it.
Finally, you can also speak to your local MP should things end up at worst case scenario. They may or may not be of help, but I’d only do that after you’ve spoken with tenancies and followed their advice. Good luck whatever you decide!

We have a tenants union here in Tas. They’re brilliant for legal help concerning rentals. See if your state has one

I always go with what the contract says. Otherwise you can call fair trade and tell them the story. They will definitely give you advice. I have done this a couple of times for mould issues

As a general practice, landlords increase the rent of a residential property by 10 percent each year. The Landlord must serve written notice at least two months’ prior to the rent increase date. You could seek legal advice when things aren’t done according to the book