Probably Stolen: How to Pay Rent and How the Landlord’s Grace Works

Rent in Probably Stolen: Cyberpunk Shopkeeper Sim keeps the pressure on your shop’s cash all run. The Landlord shows up every seven days to collect, the bill grows after each visit, and refusing to pay can end your run on the spot.

Quick answer: The Landlord collects rent every 7 days, starting at 200 credits on Day 7. Keep that much cash on rent day; refusing to pay with no Landlord’s grace left ends the run.

Difficulty	Rent increase each rent day (Difficulty screen)	Landlord’s grace at the start
Price Gouge (Cozy Mode)	2%	Yes
Mark Up (Normal Mode)	5%	Yes
Thin Margins (Hard Mode)	10%	No
Red Ink (Challenge Mode)	10%	No

Red Ink is on page 2 of the Difficulty screen. Price Gouge’s entry reads “Rent increases by 2% each time”, and Red Ink’s reads “Rent increases by 10% each time”.

Difficulty screen with rent increase per mode — Each difficulty raises rent by a different amount (see our difficulty guide).

Red Ink Challenge Mode, Rent increases by 10% each time — Red Ink sits on page 2 of the Difficulty screen.

Rent due dates in Probably Stolen

The wall display beside the shutter shows today’s date and how long remains before payment: Monday, Day 1, with six days left; Tuesday, Day 2, with five days left.

Wall display reading Day 1 Monday, Rent in 6 days — The wall display counts down to rent day.

The Calendar tab in the end-of-day panel shows the same schedule. It marks “Rent Due” on Day 7 and Day 14. At the end of Day 1 on Mark Up, it also says “The Landlord will come to collect 200 Credit in Rent in 5 Days”.

Calendar tab with Rent Due on Day 7 and Day 14 and the Landlord collecting 200 Credit — The Calendar marks every rent day (Mark Up).

How to pay rent on time

Check the countdown on the wall display by the shutter, or open the Calendar tab at the end of the day. Both tell you how many days remain until the Landlord arrives.

Check your cash on the wall display or on the Status tab, which lists “Your current Credit count”. On Mark Up, the Status tab showed 598 Credits after Day 1, with an Estimated Total Wealth of 793. Only credits count toward rent, so watch the credit number.

Status tab showing 598 Credits and 793 Estimated Total Wealth — Your current Credit count on the Status tab.

Check the End of Day panel for nightly expenses; they come from the cash you also need for rent. On Mark Up, Power Service takes 5 credits. The panel notes “Services Can Be Toggle On Or Off Every Night”. The listed service modifier for both Thin Margins and Red Ink is “Higher nightly service fees”.

End of Day panel with Power Service 5 credits — Nightly services come out of the same cash.

Keep at least the full rent amount in credits on rent day. Have it ready when the Landlord comes to collect.

The first week on Mark Up is manageable (our beginner guide walks through Day 1). Day 1 starts at 550 credits and ended at 598, so normal trading covers the 200-credit rent easily. The risk is spending everything on stock and upgrades. Keep food on the shelves, since the Mentor’s Note on Food says “Food is the most traded commodity on the station”.

The Mentor’s Note on Upgrades warns: “These upgrades can be useful, but you must be careful when managing your cash flow and keep an eye out for the next rent payment.”

Choices that raise your starting rent

Some choices you make before the run starts add to your first rent bill.

Fence, Hydroponic Farmer and Aquafarmer: on the Specialization screen, each of these specializations is marked “Increased starting rent”.
Bad Lease (starting perk, gives 1 perk point): “Your starting rent is increased by 40 Credits.”
Prime Real Estate (starting perk, free): “1 more normal customer will visit everyday but starting rent cost 75 credit more.”

Starting Perks screen showing the Bad Lease perk — Bad Lease adds 40 credits to your starting rent.

Starting Perks screen showing the Prime Real Estate perk — Prime Real Estate costs 75 more rent for an extra customer each day.

Missing rent and the Landlord’s grace

The Landlord’s grace covers a single missed payment. Declining to pay while you still have it skips that week’s rent once, but the unpaid amount carries over to the next week’s bill. The normal rent increase still takes effect after that payment date.

If you have no grace left, refusing to pay ends the run. You get the ending “You Defaulted On Your Rent“, which reads: “As a result of failing to pay your rent, you were evicted. Abandoned by your customers, your contact, and even The Mentor, you are forced to go back to the life of a scavenger.”

Thin Margins and Red Ink begin with no Landlord’s grace, so refusing the first rent payment on either difficulty ends the run.

Getting grace back with Rent Grace (Favor)

Wild’s network sells an upgrade called Rent Grace (Favor) for 100 favor. Its description reads: “Wild will convince the Landlord that if you missed a rent payment, it’s acceptable to pay the missing rent together with the next week’s rent. This is a one time favor.” On Thin Margins and Red Ink, this upgrade is how you get a safety net.

Buying the store deed to stop paying rent

You can stop paying rent permanently by buying the store deed from the Landlord. The base price depends on difficulty:

Price Gouge and Mark Up: 12,000 credits
Thin Margins: 24,000 credits
Red Ink: 36,000 credits

On Mark Up, the Calendar on Day 1 says “The current value of the property is 12000 Credits”. Buying the deed wins the run with the Buyout ending, and you never pay rent again.