Should I renew 12-month lease in downtown Chicago? Or month to month?

[PeterParker]

Just wondering -- my lease is coming up soon -- or rather the landlord is mailing it this week.
He wants another standard 12 month lease of course (I've done 3 annual leases so far).

My dad for some reason thinks I should REALLY try to haggle him down to a Month-to-Month lease.
Reasons: I live in a high rise condo in downtown Chicago, most people are moving out of the city with the virus (not IN to a downtown condo).

I guess his logic is two-fold:

1. Financial gambit that rents will be going down in the city overall in the next few months.
2. He wants me to move in with him for a couple months for safety reasons (90 minutes away) - I work remote so while possible, I wouldn't enjoy it so much (I'm 32, I do have a gf in the city as well).

Anyway is there any advantage to me trying to haggle the landlord or a month-to-month lease?

Would rent be going down anyway in the next few months in downtown Chicago?

Would it be less risky in case I need to leave the city for safety reasons?

Just wondering if I'm overthinking things and should just stay put. My dad seems to be panicking a lot, but also thinks its pointless to live in a studio condo where you can't go anywhere, vs. out in the boonies with more space and nature.

[goat_music_generator]

Month-to-month is always better if you can get the landlord to give it to you, pandemic or not. Flexibility in when you can move is really nice (assuming you don't plan to stay in this place forever-ish).

Rents have gone down significantly where I am in San Francisco. Try looking around on Craigslist & see if things have changed in your area -- we've seen rent decrease in some places by $500-800 a month. It's a good time for a renter to negotiate.

As for safety and whether you'll have to leave -- well, how OK are you with staying in your studio apartment for weeks/months at a time? If it would be bad for your mental health long-term, then you would want the flexibility to go somewhere else.

[Peachtea]

I moved from the loop to a neighborhood early March, before coved-19 picked up. Out of morbid curiosity, I looked at comparable listings nearby last night. Hard to directly compare the units as they’re not as stock as in the loop, but they seemed a bit lower (like $50-100/month) and one was offering April free. So it might be a good time to negotiate, especially if you’re open to moving to a new place if negotiations fall through. Month to month by be prohibited by your high rise. We rented a condo when in the loop and the HOA required at least a 12 month lease.