Probably Stolen Rent, Loan Shark & Buying the Store: Prices by Difficulty

Rent, the Loan Shark & Buying the Store

Updated Nov 1, 2026 · Basics

Quick answer

Rent is 200 credits every 7 days (Sundays) and rises every rent day — 5% on Mark Up (Normal), 10% on Thin Margins and Red Ink. You win by buying the store: on a rent day with enough cash the Landlord offers the deed — 12,000 on Mark Up, 36,000 on Red Ink, flat until Day 50 and rising daily after. The Loan Shark (from Day 5) offers a mortgage instead — on Mark Up reportedly 2,000 down, then 930 a week for 12 weeks, paid instead of rent — but with a mortgage you can't pay the deed off early. Don't forget the Business Permit (1,500 on Mark Up), enforced from Day 45.

Rent

	Price Gouge (Cozy)	Mark Up (Normal)	Thin Margins (Hard)	Red Ink (Challenge)
Starting rent	200 / 7 days	200 / 7 days	200 / 7 days	200 / 7 days
Rise each rent day	❌ 2% or 2.5%	5%	10%	10%
Rent graces at start	1	1	0	0

Rent days are Days 7, 14, 21 … (Day 1 is a Monday, so rent is Sunday). Some starts add to base rent — Fence, Gunsmith, Hydroponic Farmer and Aquafarmer start with higher rent.

The deed (buying the store)

Difficulty	Deed price	After Day 50
Price Gouge	12,000 ⚠️	+25/day, cap 15,000 ⚠️
Mark Up	12,000 ✅	+50/day, cap 17,000 ⚠️
Thin Margins	24,000 ⚠️	+50/day, cap 34,000 ⚠️
Red Ink	36,000 ✅	+100/day, cap 56,000 ✅

Buy it before Day 50 — the price is flat until then, and doing it that early is the Prodigious achievement (3.4% of players). After the buyout the Merchant still visits on Sundays (fixed in 1.0.0.5) and new content opens up, including an ADVANCED tab in Joe Wild’s network.

The Loan Shark (mortgage)

He first visits on Day 5 (bowler hat, Black Market) and returns with a formal offer once you have enough cash (❌ sources say 5,000 on hand, or twice the down payment).

Difficulty	Interest	Weeks	Down payment	Per week
Price Gouge	25%	8	2,500	1,233
Mark Up	50%	12	2,000	930
Thin Margins	75%	16	3,000	1,615
Red Ink	100%	16	7,000	2,370 ✅

From allthings.how ⚠️ (the Red Ink row is confirmed by a second guide). You can Agree, Decline (permanent for that run) or ask him to come back in a week.

Weekly payments replace rent.
You can’t pay the deed in full while the mortgage is active.
Missed payment: he takes items worth up to the payment and leaves a Repo Slip. Documents, containers, machines, locked and important items and Smuggler Bay contents are safe. If there’s nothing left to take, it’s the Repossession ending.

The Business Permit

	Price Gouge	Mark Up	Thin Margins	Red Ink
Permit cost	500 ⚠️	1,500 ✅	2,000 ⚠️	3,000 ✅

Day 24 warning → Day 38 on sale → Day 45 enforced. Budget for it: it lands right when you’re saving for the deed.

Other costs that eat your savings

Inspection bribe: about 100 + 2 × day − 2 × Security rep, between 40 and 400 ⚠️.
Night robbery: 33% a night without insurance, rising 5% per uninsured night — Joe Wild sells insurance from Day 4 ⚠️.
Nightly services (power, cleaning, insurance) are paid from cash you already have.

FAQ

How do you buy the store in Probably Stolen?

Wait for a rent day (every 7th day) with enough cash. Next to Pay Rent the Landlord shows 'Buyout the store (12000 Credits)' on Mark Up. The current price is on the Calendar in the bottom-right. Buying it is the win; you can then press Continue and keep playing with no rent.

Should I take the Loan Shark's mortgage?

Usually not if you can save the full price within 2–3 weeks. The mortgage replaces rent (which can be cheaper if you play slowly), but you can't pay it off early, a missed payment means he takes items, and the deed only comes after the last payment — so it also rules out Prodigious (deed before Day 50).

How much is the Business Permit?

500 on Price Gouge, 1,500 on Mark Up, 2,000 on Thin Margins, 3,000 on Red Ink. The Mentor warns you on Day 24, the Trade Board Official sells it from Day 38 and it's enforced from Day 45. Without it you get the No Permit ending. Owning it unlocks Authorized — and makes Lou start appearing.

What happens if I can't pay rent?

On Price Gouge and Mark Up you start with one rent grace, which postpones the bill to the next rent day (it isn't forgiven). On Thin Margins and Red Ink you have none. Refusing with no grace left ends the run. There are no partial payments — Pay only appears if you have the full amount.

Do I need to pay rent the week I buy the store?

A Chinese 1.0 Steam guide says no — the buyout replaces that week's rent. ⚠️ Single source.