Katie's Bliss

A Nashville lifestyle blog covering affordable fashion, baby finds, home decor and more

January 11, 2015
Advice + New York City
How To Find An Apartment in New York City

How To Find An Apartment in New York CityBefore writing this guide, I wanted to experience finding an apartment twice.  After 2.5 years of living in our first New York rental, we are upgrading to a new apartment! We could not be more excited. 

Living in Manhattan has been a total whirlwind and I’m not going to lie, moving and finding an apartment wasn’t easy. When we were first began planning our move, I had so many questions and couldn’t find answers to them ANYWHERE. I had no clue about the requirements of most New York rentals, what using a broker entailed, or the best websites to look for available apartments. I’m hoping this guide can be of use to any of you considering the big move! If you have questions leave me a comment below, Tweet me or feel free to send me on a message on Facebook.

Ways to find an Apartment


Browse listings websites
My personal favorites are: StreetEasy, Craigslist, Naked Apartments and CityRealty (has a great list of no-fee rental buildings).

Stop in the apartment buildings you like and ask about availabilities
You won’t believe how many people I know found their apartments just by stopping inside the building and asking. If you know you want to live in a certain area then it’s worth it to try. A lot of times the doorman can connect you directly with the building manager or exclusive broker who can provide info on availability (or apartments that will soon be available and are not yet listed).

Ask around
Know someone that lives here? Ask for their thoughts on the best places to live or if they know anyone looking for a roommate. Post what you’re looking for on Facebook and see who responds. When we started our search for our new apartment I found out about so many great buildings just by talking with friends. 

Use a broker
Working with a broker can be very helpful if you’re looking for an apartment in a time crunch. Brokers will have multiple listings, so if one apartment isn’t right for you then they probably will have another they can show you. A lot of times brokers will also have info on apartments that have yet to be listed online. 

Sublet first
This is something you may want to consider if you are unfamiliar with New York. If you choose to sublet over leasing, you won’t be locking yourself into any sort of formal contract. No lease, no brokers – you can avoid it all. When I first moved here I subletted a room for one month on the Upper West Side in an apartment with two other girls. I found the listing on Craigslist and it worked out amazingly (I swear it’s not creepy). I became familiar with the city during that time and was able to decide what neighborhoods I wanted to live in for when it came time to find my own place. 

Difference Between Fee and No-Fee Apartments
You’ll notice on a lot of listings apartments will be categorized as Fee and No-Fee. Here’s what it means:
 
Fee – There is a broker’s fee associated with the apartment. A broker is the person who acts as the salesperson for the available apartment. When you sign for an apartment through a broker you will be required to pay them a fee for their services. This is typically equivalent to one month’s rent. From my experience, it’s very common to go through a broker when finding an apartment in New York. We had to go through one when signing for our first apartment.
 
No-Fee – There is no broker free associated with the apartment. Normally to find these apartments you need to go directly through the building’s management company or leasing office. Typically no fee apartments are found in larger high rise buildings. If you’re looking to live in a low rise building in the West Village then you’ll most likely need to use a broker as most smaller buildings don’t have a management company or exclusive leasing office. If you want to live in a high rise building in Murray Hill with a gym and a doorman, then most likely you can go through the management company and avoid working with a broker. You can find out if a building has a management company by going to the buildings website. Sometimes if the building is big enough the available apartments will be listed right on the website.

Things to Know


Most leases will require that you make 40-50 times your monthly rent
Example: to lease a $2,500 per month 1-bedroom apartment with a 40x policy, you would have to prove you have a yearly salary of $100,000. If you are living with a roommate(s) this would be combined – so you would have to prove that you make $100,000 collectively. This is why you don’t see a lot of younger people living alone. If you can’t fulfill the 40x policy then you will need to find a guarantor (normally a parent or grandparent) who agrees to be listed on your lease and will be liable to pay your rent if for some reason you cannot. A guarantor basically acts as your insurance to your landlord.

Be ready to pay a lot up front
You should have saved enough to pay up front your first month’s rent, security deposit (normally the same as your monthly rent), an application fee (can range from $50-$1,000 depending on building) and a broker’s fee (normally 15% of the yearly rent or one month). If the apartment is no-fee then you can disregard the broker’s fee. 

Example: to afford a $2,500 apartment with a broker you should be prepared to pay at least $7,500 up front.

Dishwashers, laundry facilities and elevators are a luxury
You’d be surprised what simple suburban conveniences are total luxuries in New York. Most affordable apartments will not have a dishwasher or laundry facilities. If you are looking at an apartment in an older building, there’s a high chance there won’t be an elevator or central heat/air conditioning. I know people who live on the seventh floor of a walk up building. Garbage disposals are also totally unheard of here.

You’re not going to get everything you want
Unless you have an unlimited budget, be prepared to compromise when it comes to amenities or location. For our first apartment we really wanted to live downtown at an affordable price. Well, to do that we had to live on the fourth floor of a walk up building without access to laundry services or a dishwasher. We chose location over having any amenities. To each his own. 

Be aware of your commute
Everyone uses public transportation in New York. Familiarize yourself with the subway and bus stops near your work and go from there. If you work in Tribeca then you probably don’t want to look at apartments on the Upper East Side (unless you want a 1+ hour subway commute).  When you are considering an apartment, Google map the different route options you could take to work. If you’re looking at an apartment and the closest subway stop is 10 blocks away from your doorstep – maybe you want to keep looking.

Listings can be deceiving
Beware of online listings – sometimes not everything will not be what it appears in a photo. Brokers will try and make apartments sound and look as appealing as possible. Don’t be afraid to ask a ton of questions or ask for additional photos.

Apartments go quick
If you find one you love apply on the spot! Nick and I missed out on an amazing apartment in Tribeca because we waited just a few hours too long to apply. Literally two hours after we had looked at the apartment someone had applied and taken it off the market.

Be prepared for things to come together last minute
You can’t really start looking for an apartment until about a month before you plan to move. Landlords and leasing agents don’t post availabilities months out because most of the time they don’t even know what will be available. Our first apartment we found and moved into within a span of a five days. It was crazy and the most stressful thing ever. I LOVE to plan ahead, but with the way renting works in New York it’s impossible. There is such low availability and when something hits the market it disappears fast. 

- Katie

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27 comments

New York City Apartment Living Room

How To Find An Apartment in New York City

How To Find An Apartment in New York CityBefore writing this guide, I wanted to experience finding an apartment twice.  After 2.5 years of living in our first New York rental, we are upgrading to a new apartment! We could not be more excited. 

Living in Manhattan has been a total whirlwind and I’m not going to lie, moving and finding an apartment wasn’t easy. When we were first began planning our move, I had so many questions and couldn’t find answers to them ANYWHERE. I had no clue about the requirements of most New York rentals, what using a broker entailed, or the best websites to look for available apartments. I’m hoping this guide can be of use to any of you considering the big move! If you have questions leave me a comment below, Tweet me or feel free to send me on a message on Facebook.

Ways to find an Apartment


Browse listings websites
My personal favorites are: StreetEasy, Craigslist, Naked Apartments and CityRealty (has a great list of no-fee rental buildings).

Stop in the apartment buildings you like and ask about availabilities
You won’t believe how many people I know found their apartments just by stopping inside the building and asking. If you know you want to live in a certain area then it’s worth it to try. A lot of times the doorman can connect you directly with the building manager or exclusive broker who can provide info on availability (or apartments that will soon be available and are not yet listed).

Ask around
Know someone that lives here? Ask for their thoughts on the best places to live or if they know anyone looking for a roommate. Post what you’re looking for on Facebook and see who responds. When we started our search for our new apartment I found out about so many great buildings just by talking with friends. 

Use a broker
Working with a broker can be very helpful if you’re looking for an apartment in a time crunch. Brokers will have multiple listings, so if one apartment isn’t right for you then they probably will have another they can show you. A lot of times brokers will also have info on apartments that have yet to be listed online. 

Sublet first
This is something you may want to consider if you are unfamiliar with New York. If you choose to sublet over leasing, you won’t be locking yourself into any sort of formal contract. No lease, no brokers – you can avoid it all. When I first moved here I subletted a room for one month on the Upper West Side in an apartment with two other girls. I found the listing on Craigslist and it worked out amazingly (I swear it’s not creepy). I became familiar with the city during that time and was able to decide what neighborhoods I wanted to live in for when it came time to find my own place. 

Difference Between Fee and No-Fee Apartments
You’ll notice on a lot of listings apartments will be categorized as Fee and No-Fee. Here’s what it means:
 
Fee – There is a broker’s fee associated with the apartment. A broker is the person who acts as the salesperson for the available apartment. When you sign for an apartment through a broker you will be required to pay them a fee for their services. This is typically equivalent to one month’s rent. From my experience, it’s very common to go through a broker when finding an apartment in New York. We had to go through one when signing for our first apartment.
 
No-Fee – There is no broker free associated with the apartment. Normally to find these apartments you need to go directly through the building’s management company or leasing office. Typically no fee apartments are found in larger high rise buildings. If you’re looking to live in a low rise building in the West Village then you’ll most likely need to use a broker as most smaller buildings don’t have a management company or exclusive leasing office. If you want to live in a high rise building in Murray Hill with a gym and a doorman, then most likely you can go through the management company and avoid working with a broker. You can find out if a building has a management company by going to the buildings website. Sometimes if the building is big enough the available apartments will be listed right on the website.

Things to Know


Most leases will require that you make 40-50 times your monthly rent
Example: to lease a $2,500 per month 1-bedroom apartment with a 40x policy, you would have to prove you have a yearly salary of $100,000. If you are living with a roommate(s) this would be combined – so you would have to prove that you make $100,000 collectively. This is why you don’t see a lot of younger people living alone. If you can’t fulfill the 40x policy then you will need to find a guarantor (normally a parent or grandparent) who agrees to be listed on your lease and will be liable to pay your rent if for some reason you cannot. A guarantor basically acts as your insurance to your landlord.

Be ready to pay a lot up front
You should have saved enough to pay up front your first month’s rent, security deposit (normally the same as your monthly rent), an application fee (can range from $50-$1,000 depending on building) and a broker’s fee (normally 15% of the yearly rent or one month). If the apartment is no-fee then you can disregard the broker’s fee. 

Example: to afford a $2,500 apartment with a broker you should be prepared to pay at least $7,500 up front.

Dishwashers, laundry facilities and elevators are a luxury
You’d be surprised what simple suburban conveniences are total luxuries in New York. Most affordable apartments will not have a dishwasher or laundry facilities. If you are looking at an apartment in an older building, there’s a high chance there won’t be an elevator or central heat/air conditioning. I know people who live on the seventh floor of a walk up building. Garbage disposals are also totally unheard of here.

You’re not going to get everything you want
Unless you have an unlimited budget, be prepared to compromise when it comes to amenities or location. For our first apartment we really wanted to live downtown at an affordable price. Well, to do that we had to live on the fourth floor of a walk up building without access to laundry services or a dishwasher. We chose location over having any amenities. To each his own. 

Be aware of your commute
Everyone uses public transportation in New York. Familiarize yourself with the subway and bus stops near your work and go from there. If you work in Tribeca then you probably don’t want to look at apartments on the Upper East Side (unless you want a 1+ hour subway commute).  When you are considering an apartment, Google map the different route options you could take to work. If you’re looking at an apartment and the closest subway stop is 10 blocks away from your doorstep – maybe you want to keep looking.

Listings can be deceiving
Beware of online listings – sometimes not everything will not be what it appears in a photo. Brokers will try and make apartments sound and look as appealing as possible. Don’t be afraid to ask a ton of questions or ask for additional photos.

Apartments go quick
If you find one you love apply on the spot! Nick and I missed out on an amazing apartment in Tribeca because we waited just a few hours too long to apply. Literally two hours after we had looked at the apartment someone had applied and taken it off the market.

Be prepared for things to come together last minute
You can’t really start looking for an apartment until about a month before you plan to move. Landlords and leasing agents don’t post availabilities months out because most of the time they don’t even know what will be available. Our first apartment we found and moved into within a span of a five days. It was crazy and the most stressful thing ever. I LOVE to plan ahead, but with the way renting works in New York it’s impossible. There is such low availability and when something hits the market it disappears fast. 

Comments

  4. Rachel says

    Daaaang! That 40x salary thing blows my mind. My boyfriend and I both have 2 bachelor’s degrees and there is no way we could afford to live in NYC. I don’t know how people do it!

    Reply

  5. Nicole Walker says

    This was such a helpful and well written post! I was living in NYC a couple years, ago and yikes the real estate market is intense. Like you said, you would see an apartment you love and it would be gone within hours! I also loved what you said about the option of subletting. You really don’t get the feel of a city until you’re living there and some of my favorite neighborhoods and places I would want to live I never would have picked up on if I was just visiting.

    xoxo Nicole

    http://www.brazenbrunette.com

    Reply

  6. Alex Bisset says

    Katie… This is actually a very useful guide in finding an apartment. I found for me it was a lot easier to go to an apartment community that offered no-fee apartments, like Peter Cooper Village/Stuyvesant Town. I also liked the fact that PCVST offers amenities and social activities as well. PCVST is also located in Manhattan, which made it very ideal for me. Going with an apartment community made my search so easy. You can check out PCVST at http://www.pcvstliving.com

    Reply

  7. Joy says

    Hey i really liked this one, read everything carefully bc i’m moving next year to nyc, but im renting one room in apartment not the actual place, from a company and they’re really good. No broker fees or co signing. Rent is 300 to 400 a month. thats good for a one room. Of course theres a kitchen and a bathroom.
    Thanks! looking forward to hearing more about your new place. love it already. Good luck.. See ya in NYC

    Reply

  8. Lucy says

    Great post! I’ve never thought that moving to NYC and looking for an apartment is so stressful! Gosh, thanks for sharing all that tips!

    Reply

  11. Aabray says

    Hi Katie, I am Aabray I have watched few video of yours and those were really helpful so firstly I would like to say thank you for those advises. And now I have a question and would need more advise. So basically, I am moving to New York within few weeks. I’ve got an well affordable place (Jamaica) to stay but after doing few research about colleges near the place it looks like I might have to move (in Brooklyn) for my convenient. And I think a studio apartment would be best for me so I was wondering how can I find studio apartments?

    Hoping to hear from you soon. Thank you
    Take care.

    Love
    Aabray

    Reply

  12. Diana valle says

    I am looking for a 1 or 2 bedroom in Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn or Queens.I worked for the NYC Office of the Comptroller for 30 years.I am 65yrs old,use a rotator walker and have a Service Dog.My salary in $42,000 plus.Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.My phone#347-485-0404.Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.To leave a message please call 1-718-893-6985.

    Reply

  13. Trinidad says

    Hi Katie! I think your post it’s very helpful. I want to ask you about the webpages you named, ’cause i’m a chilean tourist and with a few friends intend to explore NYC for a few days, so i’ve been searching through craigslist. So my question is, this kind of pages are really relaible? Considering we are in the other side of the world and we can’t see the appt in person. I’m sorry to boring you but we need some help..thanks

    Reply

    • Katie says

      Yes, I’ve used it many times and have found it reliable! You just need to use common sense when looking. If you ask the right questions and use discretion you may just have some luck!

      Reply

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  17. Derrick says

    Hi Katie – Super helpful post and still relevant 4 years out. I wanted to get http://www.transparentcity.co on your radar which consists of management company run buildings only so it’s all 100% no brokers and it provides the website links to the management companies availability page. We wanted to make sure the building you’re currently living in is on the website. We heard the same thing where consumers would just walk around from building to building. Luckily, these management companies have started creating websites!

    Also a trend we’ve been seeing in 2018 as it relates to your ‘no fee’ comments is there have been a good amount of listings being posted by brokers where they have increased the rent but label it with ‘no fee’ so unsuspecting consumers are inherently paying a fee. Just something to watch out in case you’re thinking of moving again in the near future.

    Reply

  18. Taylor Wright says

    I never knew that a broker’s fee usually is around 15 percent when paying upfront. My brother is moving to New York to work at an advertising firm in the summer and is worried about finding an apartment. I’ll be sure to help him find one while using some of these tips along the way.

    Reply

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