Rent to Kill takes place at Regal Palms; a twelve-story building built in 1958 and located in Sunshine Beach, California. After what appears to be a resident committing suicide by jumping off the building, neighbors Celeste Ravenna (a smart insurance claims adjuster) and Maybel Morgan (the self-proclaimed matriarch of the building) suspect it might have been foul play. When Detective Brian Bahn steps onto the scene, things get even more interesting.

Another death under even stranger circumstances set their suspicions on fire. As neighbor suspects neighbor, Detective Bahn searches diligently for the killer. Maybel insists her and Celeste help by trying to solve the mystery on their own because at Regal Palms, the bodies drop faster than the elevator.