For apartments I try to stick with smaller landlords that have just one or two properties. They tend to place more value on keeping the place occupied so they're less likely to raise your rent.
When your lease is up have a backup plan for where you'll go if you can't come to agreeable terms
The downside is putting up with a lot of poor building maintenance/ diy solutions. I don't want to say slumlord. But basically... cheaper rent is worth it though because it's my largest expense by far