Baltimore housing rent dips after months of increases

If you're renting an apartment or house in Greater Baltimore and your lease is about to expire, now might be a good time to shop around or renegotiate.

The average monthly rent price for a Greater Baltimore housing unit was $1,669 at the end of December, according to market research firm Zillow Inc. That was a 0.8 percent decrease from the third quarter and the only 2012 quarter during which rent prices dropped.

Overall, Greater Baltimore rent prices rose 5 percent in 2012. Baltimore is one of…