Honestly, right now, I'd pretend I never heard a thing. 

This is a great site but let's top pretending we're encouraging rationale behavior.

So, let's pretend that you couldn't afford to buy in San Jose, but you could afford to buy in Fresno. 

Pretend you own the unit upstairs. 

If you leave it alone, they probably won't ask for a rent break.What I did was pretend I was one of my tenants and looked to see what they would see if they went shopping for a new apartment. 

They're also afraid the landlord will make them get rid of their cats, so you'll have to decide if you want to pretend you never saw the cats. 

If they ask about pit bulls just pretend your Bill Clinton .. “ what is a pit bull ?”

Take a breath and pretend you are one of these tenants and what would be reasonable and fair to you. 

We all pretended that wasn't what happened and the soft-hearted owner I worked for actually paid for a new throw rug for her, because she had the cojones to claim the plaster ruined her rug.Some people should only ever live in upstairs units. 

So, because of this market, you won't likely be successful at getting the place at a discounted price.Try pretending you are her when you are thinking of your approach.