Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Nebraska

Re: Lease and rent increase

Your lease is the key to the answers you are seeking. I don't know when your lease expired and renewed compared to when the new owners bought the property. If your lease had renewed automatically before they bought the premises, they are bound by that lease and its terms until it expires or until it is terminated under the provisions of the lease, or by law [for non-payment of rent, or violating the terms of the lease, and appropriate notices are sent and not complied with, for example]. The new owners may raise rent according to the terms of the lease [most leases with an automatic renewal include a provision which allows rent increases with each renewal, or give the landlord the right to increase rent after giving notice described in the lease]. It is possible for them to be able to raise the rent of some of their tenants and not others because of the timing of their leases/renewals. If they are treating different tenants differently, that is their right, so long as the reason for the differing treatment is not discrimination according to race, religion, gender, etc.

In other words, the landlord can charge anybody whatever they want, so long as they don't give favorable treatment or unfavorable treatment to tenants because of race, religion, national origin, gender, marital status etc.

You should compare notes with the neigbors who are paying less and find out whether their rent hasn't gone up because their lease has not renewed since the new owners took over. They might be in line for the same rent increase you got when their lease renews

Hope this helps

Bill Jones