Workaround For For Rent Bugs

Managing rental properties in The Sims 4: For Rent should be a dream career path, but for many players it’s quickly turned into a bug-ridden headache. From broken rent values in the billions, to units that won’t register as rentable, to tenants mysteriously avoiding payment altogether, landlords and players alike are left frustrated. 



While EA is still ironing out the kinks, simmers have discovered a number of clever workarounds to keep their rental businesses running smoothly. Below, we’ll explore the most common For Rent glitches and the practical fixes players are using to get back to enjoying the game.

1. Lot Type Reverts or Naming Bugs

If changing a residential rental lot’s type or name doesn't stick, try this:
  • Open Build Mode directly from the World Map.
  • Place any Residential Rental lot from the gallery, then delete each individual unit.
  • Bulldoze the lot completely, then reassign the correct lot type or name.
  • This method also helps fix cases where the lot name resets or won't save properly.

2. Ridiculous Rent Prices ($4 Billion, Negative, or Unpaid)

To fix absurdly high or unpayable rent for units:
  • Temporarily switch the lot type to a normal Residential lot, then switch it back to Rental.
  • Alternately, move a Sim into the unit (using cheats for low cost if needed), then set rent correctly, evict them, and things should return to normal.
  • Some players suggest switching households to the landlord, manually editing rent, and then returning to the original family—this can reset broken charges too.

3. Tenants Not Paying Rent

If rent isn't getting collected:
  • Use your Sim's phone exclusively for selecting "Become Owner" or moving into rental units.
  • Avoid using UI tools like the register icon—phone-based actions appear more reliable under current bugs.

4. Non-Rentable Units After Tenant Deaths

If a unit becomes unrentable after a Sim passes away:
  • Go to Manage Worlds and create a new Sim to move into the vacant unit (use free real estate cheats if needed).
  • This often reactivates the unit, letting you rebuild or reassign it as functional again.

5. Maintenance or Tenant Tasks Not Registering

If tasks like maintenance or rent processing show no progress:
  • Try having a contractor complete the task; it may register properly.
  • If that doesn't work, use Build Mode > Save & Go to Manage Worlds. Exiting and re-entering the lot can flush errors and restore interactive functionality.

6. Visual Clarity & Unit Selection in Build Mode

Sometimes rental units vanish or can't be edited because the game isn't recognizing your chosen focus:
  • Avoid placing objects outside of the lot boundaries—they can disappear when switching views.
  • Use mods (like a "room selection" tool) that help lock onto specific units for editing.

7. Backup and Proceed Cautiously

This expansion still has many unresolved issues—especially with large or long-term saves.

Always back up your game before building lots with multiple units.

Avoid overloading a single lot with excessive units and construction—it can trigger crashes or corruptions.

Reddit-Verified Fixes—Simmers Say:

“After a tenant died, I added a new Sim to occupy the unit using free real estate—rent values and unit functionality instantly restored.”

“Switching the lot type to Residential and back into Rental resolved countless rent-value and naming bugs!”

“Becoming the landlord via phone instead of menus fixed rent-collection issues for me.”

TL;DR
  • Switch lot type (Residential ↔ Rental) for many renaming and pricing bugs.
  • Move in a Sim (or landlord) to reset broken units.
  • Use phone actions for rent and ownership tasks.
  • Backup often, especially for major lot builds or rentals.
  • Limit units per lot to avoid crashes and overwriting errors.

Do you have other tips/feedback about the For Rent Pack issues? Let us know in the comments!

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