What if prospect tenants have counter-offers?

When we have prospect tenants who want to negotiate for a better rate by presenting a counter-offer, we relay the request to the unit owner while we handle the initial negotiation.

We first make sure that their counter-offer is reasonable, and not just like they want a lower rate for nothing. An example would be like requesting for a lower rental rate in exchange for a longer lease term. Or requesting for a shorter lease term in exchange for a higher rental rate.

We usually ask the prospect tenant to put his request in writing so that we can submit it to the unit owner for consideration. We also ask them to put down an earnest money or an initial check to support their request. If the unit owner does not take their counter-offer, we will just promptly return their earnest deposit also.