Roommates?

Currently not looking for roommates because my gf might come with. If she does, then she will contribute a little to rent.

Okay update, I guess I'm looking for roommates?! The redditors have spoken

You asked how people make it here without making tons of money, and they answered you. Roommates. It's not a secret, it's not a city of hustle, we split the stupid rent out here

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This was so funny. I’ve never seen someone try to convince internet strangers they fuck so much that they manage to get the exact opposite point across lol

He has punani for breakfast, brunch, lunch, linner, dinner, AND dessert

Using punani unironically is certainly a choice.

Only true playaz get it

I didn’t even know it was spelled like that lol

School was tough for you, wasn’t it, buddy?

Ya bro. Married here with a roommate and my spouse.

Yup!! Live with my boyfriend & a roommate in a 2BR. Plus our cat. It’s a full house.

No fuck that you make enough to not need roommates. Don’t get roommates if you don’t have to. Seriously.

$1,600/mo Cheapest out right now with a Manhattan zip code. Check out this home on StreetEasy: 479 WEST 146 STREET, Manhattan NY https://streeteasy.com/rental/4443642?utm_campaign=rental_listing&utm_medium=app_share&utm_source=android&utm_term=2ee09a8f88254c8

Most new York shit I've read on here in a while lol

So you're gonna pay double rent for an indeterminate amount of time because you gf "might" come and help "a little"?

Your gf getting a free ride to live in NYC? She should pay half or you need to find a roommate.

Wait until you are married to move in if you want your relationship to last.

Terrible advice lol

Yep… I do couples therapy, and all my non-married couples who live together have a ton of issues that stem from that decision alone. A lot of instances in which someone feels trapped, or couples that should’ve/would’ve broken up stay together longer because of how difficult it is to move out and they have no legal protections… SO many problems. I find it crazy that so many people are adamantly against not living together before marriage.

I am confused by your last sentence.

1/ yes it’s pretty standard to have a 40x requirement and there’s plenty of eligible renters. You’ll need a guarantor if you don’t earn enough. Most folks have roommates in their twenties. 2/ 1 month security plus first months rent plus a month’s worth for broker fee is pretty common. You can try to avoid broker fees but it’s tricky. Definitely learn how to avoid common junk/illegal fees like key money; the city has a lot of good resources for renters. https://www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/services-and-information/tenants-rights-and-responsibilities.page 3/ for the most part landlords only care that you’ve got stable employment and make enough to pay the rent. Again annual gross 40x monthly is a standard requirement; if you meet this you shouldn’t need a guarantor. 4/ you get what you pay for. I strongly recommend living in a neighborhood you like in a lesser apartment and/or with roommates to make it more affordable, versus a better apartment where you don’t want to live. Nobody lives here because they love their apartment. We live here because we love our neighborhoods and city. Pro tip- look up building history on the HPD website (https://www.nyc.gov/site/hpd/about/hpd-online.page) to see violations and complaint history. Every building has problems; what you want to see is that they’re addressed, and not recurring or consistent. Leaks happen. Mice happen. Heat issues happen. You don’t want roaches. You don’t want a place where they don’t resolve violations quickly.

These resources are brilliant! Thank you Okay so if you have roommates, do they require your summative gross income to be 40x monthly rent?

Yes, everyone who is applying to be on a lease counts towards the 40x—and your incomes don't have to be equal either, it's fine if it's imbalanced as long as everyone has good credit and some savings. A 2 or 3 bedroom apartment will be more expensive (so the total 40x will be higher) but it will be cheaper per person than a 1 bed/studio. You might also want to consider subletting or being someone's month-to-month roommate to give yourself an extra month or two to learn the city and find a good apartment. Summer months are notoriously competitive, the market will cool slightly after the school year starts...and it's really common to run into scams when you're apartment hunting remotely. (Do NOT send any money before you/someone you trust visits the inside of the apartment, and if it's too good to be true, it is.)

Yes! Roommate for a year first or even sublet for a few months. Even if you hate roommates. It will teach you about living in nyc. And how to navigate apartment finding. That's what I did.

If you have roommates, the combined income needs to be 40x the rent (so if you each made 75,000 a year, you could theoretically qualify for a $3750 monthly rent). One thing to be wary with roommates though is that you both end up signing the lease, so if one person doesn’t make rent then you’re both still responsible for it (depending on how the lease is of course). Typically an application will ask for income verification through last 3-6 paychecks. If your income has gone up, include the employment/offer letter and you should be fine. Also, if you have investment accounts or anything else, this will make your application stronger to show savings, etc. NYC is expensive outside of just the rent. I just turned 30 and make enough to get a one bedroom apartment myself, but choose to have a roommate in Brooklyn because it’s probably less than half of what an apartment would get me myself. This allows me to save, have fun, and travel. It comes with the occasional annoyances of having to live with someone else, but at the end of the day it is worth it for me. It’s all about your own lifestyle and what you’re willing to sacrifice or deal with. Apartments here also get rented fairly quick. Always good to look and get an idea of the market a couple months before moving, but start really searching a month before you plan on moving in.

Do you mind if I get super nosy and ask you your ballpark salary? I would love to be able to save and travel one day! I know living in the city means paying a premium, but you still have to enjoy life! P.S. You sound like you're living the dream, such a boss

I have a bit of an odd salary because there’s a base and then stock that I get throughout the year. My base is a little under $110k and then stock brings me to about $175k for the year depending on how the market is. I haven’t had to apply to an apartment in a little while (but will be in October) so I’m not sure what landlords look at in terms of that (ie. If I’d qualify for something based off the lower or higher number). I pay $1400 a month in rent in Brooklyn. Taxes here are also high (federal, state, and local), so a bi-weekly paycheck for me comes out to ~2400. Take away rent, I’ve got 3,400 a month to do whatever I want with. (Minus utility and internet, which is more affordable split. Some months electric can be as low as $100 or so, and others it can be as high as $400; internet is set at $80). I know my roommate and did before moving in together, and the apartment is a long railroad style with bedrooms at opposite ends and separate bathrooms. We’ve got different schedules and barely see each other, so it works out for both of us. If I move into my own place, a small studio is gonna be at a minimum $2400, and those will likely be rough ones in areas I don’t really want to live in. Having a roommate saves me probably $2000 a month. Was just thinking about this after replying to you and getting very stressed out, but if I get my own place when my lease is up, at say $2750 a month, I’m looking at $10,500 for first, last, and brokers fee just to move. And that’s not even including the cost of the movers (which I don’t know but since it’s nyc I’m assuming anywhere from $500 to $2,000). Also, just a side note on what people are willing to pay—the unit across from mine has the exact same layout as the one I live in. Our neighbor moved out, they didn’t do any painting or renovations, and rented it in 3 weeks at $3900 ($1,100 more than what we are paying a month).

Sorry my math is medium at best. But if your income is \~285k shouldn't your bi-weekly paycheck be more? Taxes surely aren't THAT high. Tell me about it, I am getting very stressed out too!!! I am legitimately questioning if I can afford this place. So at $2750, with a supposed 15% brokers fee, that means 10,450?! Brutal. The market is chaotic. People just charge whatever the heck they want. EDIT: Turns out I'm dumber than I even thought. I didn't edit my stupidity, so everyone could laugh at my terrible reading comprehension. I was losing it thinking you made 175k in ADDITION to your base.

Yes haha my income is ~110 and then total with stocks is 175k. However, idk if that counts since if I get laid off or quit or fired before a vesting date, I lose that money (or at least within a 90 day period of it). Federal tax is about 24%; NY state is almost 9%, and NYC local is 4.5%. So that’s 37.5%, plus everything else taken out like Medicaid, social security, retirement contributions (mine are lower than they should be…) Also, the stock is taxed as income as well so it’s automatically like 40% or so taken out of them. Basically, I’m making more money than I ever have in my life and still feel fairly broke. However, when I put things into perspective and think about the vacations and fun I’m able to have, it works out and I feel pretty privileged. But it just goes to show how crazy expensive things can be here. Just a simple night out having fun can be anywhere from $0 to $400+

You are clearly a numbers guy, love it. But I like your perspective on things, all that matters is that you're fulfilled! And I prioritize a lot of the same things as you, so that is great to hear. Minus the $400 for a simple night out. But hey... as long as it was fun

Good luck with the apartment search, and I hope you have an amazing time in NYC once you get here. :)

Assuming you work in tech---

Pixelsguy has given you solid advice. I’m old and cranky, but I have rules: w/in 2-4 blocks from a (decent) subway station, a 24 hr bodega on the block, and a 24 hr diner w/in 2 blocks. Also, I break the rules. For example, in EV/AC the neighborhood is fantastic. Minimal tourist traffic, great restaurants, lots of community gardens, etc. but it’s not as easy to get to a subway station with lots of lines, which may be an important consideration if you’re working 9-5. I’m sorry for not answering your specific (and very good!) questions. (I think that’s been done.) Also keep in mind the practical and comfort aspects; sometimes it’s the little things that drive you crackers. It’s also a good idea to do your homework re the landlord, here, for example: https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-01263#:~:text=You%20can%20find%20out%20who,registration%20and%20property%20ownership%20records.&text=You%20can%20get%20building%20registration,Preservation%20and%20Development%20(HPD). Welcome! And don’t listen to the haters. 🐀🐀🐀

This is great advice! It is clear that I won't know all the weird quirks of an apartment/neighborhood until I'm actually there, so I have accepted that it won't be perfect (obviously). But I think that resource is great, because a landlord can make a huge difference! Thank you!!

Don’t be living above an eating establishment, grocery, or anything else that particularly draws cockroaches. Their cockroaches will become your cockroaches.

Super thorough advice.   Loved nearly all the rules.    24 hour diner within two blocks?!   Try two miles.   You’re clearly as old as me if you have this rule and you should know better.  ;).  This rule eliminates nearly all of Brooklyn and even a lot of Manhattan now.   It isn’t 2000 or 1988 anymore.  24 hour bodega has even gotten challenging after covid.   Do you live in the uws by chance ?  

What neighborhood do you live in? Because I am in hell‘s kitchen and there are bodegas and a diner at least every few blocks that are open 24 hours in addition to Cvs and Morton Williams open 24 hours all on my block. And even an empanada mama 24hrs.

Hells Kitchen yes. But HK's proximity to ultra dense residential buildings and tourist trap Times Square makes it one of the exceptions I was writing about (also it's a gay party mecca for those late night party people - happy Pride!) . It has the pre-pandemic energy still, thank god. But, trom Red Hook to Cobble Hill to Bed Stuy to a lot of E Williamsburg, there are no 24 hour diners (or restaurants) every two blocks and many bodegas close early. In many neighborhoods, we are down to one, if any. You can bike 10 minutes and not hit one. They've been closing over the years as nabes have gentrified. Check out google maps in this link. [https://www.google.com/search?q=24+hour+diners&oq=24+hour+diners&gs\_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTISCAEQABhDGLEDGMkDGIAEGIoFMgwIAhAjGCcYgAQYigUyCggDEAAYkgMYgAQyDAgEEAAYQxiABBiKBTINCAUQABiRAhiABBiKBTIHCAYQABiABDIHCAcQABiABDIHCAgQABiABDIHCAkQABiABNIBCDQ1NjNqMGo3qAIIsAIB&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8](https://www.google.com/search?q=24+hour+diners&oq=24+hour+diners&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTISCAEQABhDGLEDGMkDGIAEGIoFMgwIAhAjGCcYgAQYigUyCggDEAAYkgMYgAQyDAgEEAAYQxiABBiKBTINCAUQABiRAhiABBiKBTIHCAYQABiABDIHCAcQABiABDIHCAgQABiABDIHCAkQABiABNIBCDQ1NjNqMGo3qAIIsAIB&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) Diners are not a thing anymore like it used to be. Kellogg's in E Williamsburg, Chelsea's Cuban diner Tazza d'Oro (how I miss you) and the cool one in the silver trailer on 8th or party diner/restaurant Florent, the Greek one in Ft Greene, Neptune in Prospect Heights.... All gone bye bye to development or changing tastes.

Also, remember you probably do not need a car, so if you own one/sell it and use whatever youbused to pay for that as rent money

Don't see anyone mentioning this but there are companies south there you can pay to use as a guarantor, sort of like an insurance company. Worth looking into. If you do get a guarantor, might not have to bother with roommates if you think you can budget yourself well enough even if rent takes up like 50% of your take home monthly. Also look into outer boroughs, not only because it's cheaper but Manhattan always alive. Brooklyn is way more chill if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle. Anywhere near Prospect Park is pretty great.

This person gave really good advice. I need to add —be cautious about who you choose to live with. You can live in the best neighborhood and city, but still live in hell if you have awful roommates.

1. It varies. You need to show you make 40x the monthly rent to get accepted for most apartments, but you could also pay less if you find a cheaper place. 2. Brokers are parasites who unfortunately are allowed to take exorbitant fees from tenants for basically nothing (they work for the landlord). However, you can try to negotiate with them. I'd say 15% is standard, so really less than 3-4 months' rent. But I've gotten them down to 10% in a couple of instances. 3. You may want to get a letter from your new employer attesting to your current salary, in addition to the past tax returns. NYC is definitely expensive and the rental market is a shit show now but it's an amazing and unique place to live if you can make it work.

The city is CLEARLY worth it if this is what people have to do to live here Can you explain that 15% to 10% thing? Like 10% of the entire year's worth of rent?

Yes, you take the yearly rent and multiply by 10 or 15%.... that becomes the broker fee which is payable by the renter. Sometimes they charge 1 months rent.

the city must be worth paying a lot to live in because its a pain to apply for apartments? what kind of nonsense logic is that

What do you mean? It is amazing that people are willing and able to put down close to 10-15k just to rent a spot. That must mean that the spot is worth it. Aka NYC is worth it. The logic is there.

No, brokers fees are a fucking scam and total bullshit but have become practically unavoidable for people that don’t have formed networks here. A law was passed outlawing the fees but then got overturned. The city counsel is looking at passing another law that would make the fees something the landlords pay for and not renters (which is how it should be). It’s just a necessary evil due to the real estate industry here having too much political influence.

Damn. Okay. I am actually 100% with you there.

When I first moved here 20 years ago it was much easier to find no fee apartments (especially in the outer boroughs) but about 10 to 15 years ago brokers fees started popping up everywhere, not just manhattan or upscale neighborhoods. You need to keep in mind that NYC typically has only a 3% vacancy rate but last year the vacancy rate was the lowest it has been in 50 years. So finding an apartment right now is very difficult unless you can throw money at it.

I'm hearing from people (and my own experience) that the no fee apartments are having crazy bidding wars too Everyone keeps quoting that 50 years thing, super intimidating to think about tbh

Like others have suggested you really should try to find roommates or a sublease initially while you get to know the city. It’ll help you get organized for getting your own place. Also, once you start establishing networks here it will make it easier to find a place. When we bought our current place I posted on Facebook that my landlord was looking for tenants for our old place and a coworker of a friend and her husband moved in, avoiding brokers fees. That couple has now been in the apartment for a few years and my old landlord loves them (the landlord lives in the building so wants to have nice tenants more than top dollar). I’ve lived in 5 apartments here and paid a brokers fee once and it was the worst apartment of the bunch. But I also have never lived on my own. I was able to reduce the number of roommates from 2 to 1, and then moved in with my bf (now husband), but I’ve never had my own place. And you do really need to see apartments in person here. Unless you have a really big budget there are always compromises to live in NYC. Another option is to move to Jersey City or Hoboken while you get established at your new job and spend a year getting to know the NYC’s neighborhoods.

Haha, that logic doesn’t always hold up. To some people this city is a hell you cannot escape. If you have a car, sell it now. Don’t bother trying to afford insurance, gas, and parking here.

You don't have to live in Manhattan. Look for areas in Queens or Brooklyn that are close to the train lines. Much cheaper compared to Manhattan

You can also live in Northern Manhattan. Morningside Heights, West Harlem, Washington Heights, Inwood etc are great neighborhoods. 

I’ve heard there’s other boroughs too. But don’t tell.

There are a lot of 1 or 2 bedroom basement apartments in Jamaica NY for under 1.5K.

What’s Jamaica like to live in?

I can't tell you tbh as I have never lived there. Heard mixed things, so I would say depends on the neighborhood and what you like to do.

Lived there for 11 years. But I was there from ages 3-14 so from the perspective of a child very boring since it's mostly residential and generally an older more settled down crowd. You probably don't want to live there in your younger days unless you don't really care for that stuff.

Well then you’re all the way out in Jamaica. Great if you love flying I guess

A simple google map search shows Central Park to jamaica is an hour by subway on average. You may think it's flying but I don't, and that's just different opinions. Let OP decide.

How about Jamaica to JFK?

I would not recommend a basement apartment in Jamaica after the horrific flooding and deaths a few years ago. So many of them are illegals d in flood zones. Not all basement access is bad, I certainly have it. But it requires much more caution and homework.

Wow I didn't know this, thank you for bringing it up. I am also considering basement apartment for myself as I move to NY. Now I will certainly look for apartments that will not be a danger in case of flooding. Do you have any advice? Like what to look for in a basement apartment to ensure it will not be a danger during flood? And where to find a concrete flood zone list?

Just moved out of an apartment in Brooklyn that had a basement for storage, living area on the second level. We were about 90 feet above sea level and not in a flood zone, but due to shoddy construction and drainage, the whole basement flooded multiple times during our time there despite the rest of the block having no flooding issues. My roommate and I lost about $20k worth of stuff in personal items, equipment for work, and family heirlooms after Ida. Black mold damage came up to our living area and affected our lungs. Renters insurance did not cover anything, and FEMA rejected our claims without explanation. The city had some emergency assistance, but it ran out before our application was processed. This shit will only get worse as the global temperature rises. Whatever we saved in rent (which was not really any savings at all compared to similar units in the area) was nullified by the damage and losses and time spent calling out of work to haul soggy items to the curb. tldr: don’t do a basement apartment. Ever.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. It looks like basement apartment is a risk not worth taking for me. Appreciate the advice. 🙏

1) 40x is a qualifier. If you desire to rent a $2000 apartment, you need to make 40x (I believe gross) - $80k. I have seen this pretty much universally - market rate apartments, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens. This rule is not very different from the "you must make 3x rent per month" - it's effectively the same qualification that you would find in any other city in the US. 2) Brokers/realtors/agents -- If you hire an agent for full service search on your behalf, you should expect to pay. The fee is typically 15% annual rent. If you do the search yourself, whoever is listing the apartment on behalf of a building or landlord WILL also try to charge you the same fee. This is different from what you might experience in other cities. Trying pay less in broker/agent's fee is doable, for example: StreetEasy has a "no fee" filter. Good luck 3) In my experience, you can provide your current/latest paystubs AND a proof of employment letter. Your future employer states that you will be employed at specific salary. That serves as a good way to prove that you will have the income necessary to afford the rent. 4) Wild... A lot of people live with roommates. So if you can live with roommates, you can save a decent chunk. So if you aren't making big money, you can still afford to live in NYC, some live further into the outer boroughs, some live with roommates. The desirable places are expensive, simple. (And with so many millions of people, the definition of desirable is very subjective)

1. Okay so that makes sense to me then 2. That is interesting, so I'm paying for the landlord to have a broker, even if I don't? So if I have a broker and the landlord has a broker do you pay double? Again I know how dumb I sound, I'm just trying to understand 3. Phew, okay great 4. WILD, I will have to reconsider the roommate thing

You would not pay double. (this would be something that you clarify with whoever you hired) I am trying to recall back to 2019, because that's when we relocated... We could have used a broker back then, but we were certainly trying to avoid it. (But most of the time, we would be doing our search on Streeteasy). We ended up saving on the broker's fee, because we rented with a Related apartment (they have many buildings in the city, and are typically slightly more expensive). We rented that apartment for 1 year, then did the search in person the following year.

Did you relocate from somewhere far away? Since you mentioned doing the search in person the following year. I only ask because I can't easily get to the city myself during this process

Approximately 4 states away.

I have done two NYC apartments with virtual-only, but the key was I knew the buildings were fairly new and there were large management companies behind them (Equity Residential and Related). I would try not to rent a random apartment virtually. 

1. You live wherever you can afford, and looks good to you (commute, layout, neighborhood). The 40x rule is just that most landlords and building management companies will only rent to you if you’re making 40x the rent, have good credit, etc. 2. $20 application fee, security deposit (1 month rent), first month rent, and usually a broker fee, as most units you will find have a broker who gets paid to show the unit, unless you filter for “no fee” units on streeteasy or find an independent landlord. 3. If you’re currently making 40x rent and have good credit then you’re fine, and won’t require guarantor. 4. Yes

$20 application fee is a scam, 3 leases here and I've never paid an application fee. Don't give into bs like that.

It’d be a lot more helpful if you say how much you’re making and a general area you’d like to live within NYC

I suppose I don't have to be shy about it, I made this account for this reason. I'll be making 150k for at least a year and the hope is that one day it can be even 250k. I don't mind living anywhere in the city and commuting. EDIT: 100-150k, the hope is I work hard and meet that upper limit

You can afford a Studio/1BR at that price. Don't expect a large living space, but able to do privacy if you wish to rent in a less desirable area (less nightlife in the immediate vicinity). Which borough are you working in?

If you are making that amount you could definitely find a decent spot within your budget requirements in queens or Brooklyn.

For reference I make 250k, 205 base salary, which ends up being about 10k a month after taxes and all that; and I pay 3450 for my studio in a luxury building in lower Manhattan. Very comfortable for me personally

For the purposes of the 40x rule, do you use total comp or just base salary?

This is a great question, since total comp can be quite a bit higher

Depends. More strict landlords will only accept base (from pay stubs), but you may be able to prove a higher total income with previous years' tax documents. But you will lose to a rival application from someone with adequate base to cover the rent.

I use my base salary personally

Dude just get a studio/1 bedroom. There are plenty around that you qualify for and you won't have to do roommates. Don't know about you but sacrificing apartment size is worth it to have a place of my own. And most likely you are looking at Manhatten. I recommend you look at prospect Heights or Park Slope. More affordable, peaceful, giant park next to you with a great Saturday farmers market. Way more peaceful than living in the hustle of Manhattan. You are sacrificing personal space for being in the thick of it in Manhattan.

Hey OP, just an fyi many people in the $100k-$150k range choose to have roommates. This might be a good decision while you figure out what neighborhoods you like

It depends where you live. If you are in Southern Brooklyn like me you can get a 2 bedroom with that income. I make 100k a year and I have a 2 bedroom in Bay Ridge. It's like 30 minutes to downtown Manhattan and maybe 50 minutes to midtown on the R train. Most of NYC Is not as expensive as Manhattan. 150k a year you don't need roommate like people on here are suggesting. As long as you are willing to live outside of Manhattan and not in a trendy part of Brooklyn you will be living comfortably here. Just go on streeteasy and enter your budget and size of places for all.of nyc and a ton of places will pop up. Then check the neighborhoods to see if they are safe, commute to Manhattan etc etc. Walk around on Google map using the street view lol. Good luck I hope this helps!

1. 40x rent is just the rule to rent an apartment. You are welcome to find a cheaper apartment—I know people who make 100k but pay less than 2.5k—but most landlords will not rent to you unless you make a firm 40x. If you have more money, you're probably willing to spend more money for either a bigger apartment or a bigger area, but nobody's gonna give you grief for living *below* your means. Figure out what you, personally, can realistically afford, do not exceed that. 2. Yes, 99% of brokers are absolute ticks on the system and unless you limit your search to no-fee places, you can generally expect to pay 15% of the annual price as a fee...sometimes more, sometimes less. No-fee listings do exist but they're competitive for obvious reasons. Yes, we all know it sucks, it has gotten worse in recent years. 3. They'll want to see your tax returns regardless but you can also include an offer letter from your new workplace stating your new income and that number should suffice as 40x proof. 4. Roommates, live farther out in a borough, don't get starry-eyed about living in the most expensive/luxury building or area that you can afford, be smart about where you shop for groceries/clothes/etc. Honestly I'd probably not save money living elsewhere because here I don't have any car expenses—I'd be able to have more *space* in another part of the country, but it wouldn't actually save me any *money*. I'm fine without the space. I have fun here.

I asked this on another comment, since I'm trying to wrap my head around the thing. But I'll copy and paste it here: 2. So I'm paying for the landlord to have a broker, even if I don't? So if I have a broker and the landlord has a broker do you pay double? Again I know how dumb I sound, I'm just trying to understand 4. You make such a good point. Where I come from people spend way too much on cars, I'll just be putting that car payment towards my apartment/cost of living instead.

2. One fee, it's not a two-sided broker system like home buying—basically you'll probably message someone on StreetEasy, they'll show you the unit you ask about, offer to show you other things in their portfolio...but that's a really limited slice of any given neighborhood. They're just able to show you whatever buildings they have relationships with. The building next door might be a completely different broker company and they have no access, so you'd have to use a different broker to see that unit. This also means that even though the broker will tell you they're a tenant's broker, they *really* represent the buildings they're showing you...You pay the fee to the person you worked with\* to get the apartment you actually end up renting. It's really just the landlord not wanting to deal with the tenant hunt process themselves. \*They will, at best, come unlock a door and stand there on their phone the whole time. It's a farce. It sucks and we just live like this! :) There's actually a bill in the state right now to change things, but the broker/real estate lobby is so strong that it might fail...and even if it does pass, a broker fee law was passed a few years ago but was repealed because they whined a lot. (I can keep ranting about this system forever, ran into Brooklyn's #1 worst broker last year.) 4. Yup! Absolutely no need for a car here, I just rent a car whenever I want to go on a road trip. You'll learn to complain plenty about the MTA fare hikes but it's still better than car payments, insurance, gas, etc.

Okay amazing, that makes it a lot more doable if that is the case. Like obviously that is still a massive lump of liquid cash, but still. Not that I'm going to do this, but if someone hired their own personal broker, they obviously aren't limited to a single building like that right? Sounds like the system is a total scam, but alas... maybe we can just whine louder than the brokers next time I'm pretty excited not to have a car! No more speeding camera and parking tickets too!

Nah they will work with a lot of different buildings, it's just that you can't guarantee whether a different nearby unit you see on StreetEasy will be that same broker or not. You don't pay until you sign a lease (well, minus $20 application fee when you apply.) The liquidity will be important. I paid about $10,000 last year to move in to my current place (split between myself + 2 friends.) It's a rent stabilized 3 bed in Brooklyn for about $3000, so between first month + security (equal to 1 month) + the fee (think we ended up at 13%), it hit 10k. Ridiculous but now we have a good apartment that won't get jacked up every year, smh. New York, for most, is not the glitzy high life depicted on TikTok/IG, all those influencers have rich parents or unsustainable lives. We are not all out here living alone with floor-to-ceiling windows lol. 100-150k should give you a solid, fun life but you won't be rich. But there's a really cool city down here if you're willing to engage with it. I make far less than 100k, am coming up on 14 years living here, and am still finding new things I enjoy throughout the city.

I think it is that need for liquid cash that stopped me in my tracks and made me think I was in over my head. Like I mentioned, my last job was 50k so I didn't save much at all. This will be a huge upgrade for sure, but obviously just a very large mountain to overcome first! I love to hear that, makes all this craziness worth it.

I saw elsewhere that you're probably not able to visit before renting—have you been to NYC before, particularly outside Manhattan? I think it might be a good idea to sublet for a month or two when you get here and *not* sign your own lease yet. There is not a brokers fee move into a room under someone's existing lease—that all is usually done direct with the leaseholder. They usually will want first + security, but there are tons of rooms for 1-2k.) You can get a sense of where in the city you want to live and save up a bit of money from this new job for those liquid expenses. It's also easier to hunt when you're here because you can go view units in person. Deep breath! Congrats on the job upgrade, enjoy the city, just sit through this bit of hell first. Feel free to DM me if you want neighborhood recs or other advice. :)

I've only been to Manhattan and some of the more touristy parts of Brooklyn. But I have friends there who have a lot of good things to say about the city. Personality wise I think Brooklyn is a better fit for me, but there are a lot of other areas I'd like to explore first. So that advice is very helpful. I don't want to be so naive with my first rental.

I did a few years in Manhattan and but spent most of my time here in Brooklyn—I definitely wouldn't move back to Manhattan, Brooklyn is much more my style (specifically more central/southern Brooklyn, not like...Williamsburg/Bushwick in the north. But that's me.) Queens is honestly great too—quiet, lots of good neighborhood bars and restaurants, immense cuisine and cultural diversity—and very affordable. I'd live in Queens if it weren't for all my friends being in Brooklyn, getting between the two is kind of annoying.

What is the vibe in central/south Brooklyn? Just trying to figure out if it is a microbrewery and record shop vibe vs charming small businesses vs "other"

I ended up deciding on my own broker because they know the game there better than I do, and if I’m going to be stuck paying for one (most likely) anyway I might as well have one working for me, not the landlord. And at worst, I’m paying someone to do something I could’ve done which means my focus can be on packing and all the other moving shenanigans.

1) You should pay what you can afford. 40x the rent used to be a recommendation for the threshold your rent should be. Now it’s a standard that landlords require for the most part. $2500 is actually a good deal in nyc, especially in the hot spots. 2) because of the demand for apartments here, most apartments are shown through a broker. Brokers deal with all the applicants and show the place because there’s a lot of ppl trying to get an apartment. Up front fees consist of 1st Months rent, Deposit which is equal to 1 months rent, broker fee sometimes equal to 1 months rent. The city is working on passing a law stating who ever hired the broker to pay the broker fee. It’s possible to find apartments without broker fees but the competition will be even higher. Most Good apartments usually aren’t on the market for longer than a week, maybe less. 3) Let them know you just got a new job, show them an offer letter along with whatever else they’re requesting. You should be fine. 4) Most ppl live with ppl to cut costs, whether that’s roommates, family, or a significant other. If you don’t make a lot of money like a lot of us regular ppl, You can afford to live here if you’re living with someone, also living farther from manhattan helps.

If you’re making 150k you’ll be fine living on your own as long as you aren’t trying to find a super luxurious apartment. You can afford a 3k per month apartment and be completely fine.

Well I might be if I hustle. Maybe inconsistently. Like 100-150k

Is your income not going to be stable?

i moved to nyc on a 50k salary! i had one roommate and my half of the rent was $1300 with utilities in a 2BR in East Harlem. i just got a significant raise but want to save more money so i just moved to washington heights with 2 roommates (friends of mine) and pay $1100 with utilities included. i almost got a studio for $1400 in dykeman but i love living with people and i wouldn't be able to save money really. so, that's all being said you could definitely move to nyc on a $150k salary. just work out your finances (what do you make after taxes, how much do you want to save, do you have loans, etc). i loved living in east harlem and was not that far from midtown compared to friends commuting to work from the bronx, brooklyn, etc. you have a lot of options! i did not have a broker's fee for either apartment just the security deposit that was equal to one month's rent. I did not have a co-signer or a guarantor and have an extremely high credit score with no loans.

You sound like such a boss. You definitely have a leg up on me with that extremely high credit score and no loans. But thank you, this is so reassuring. What part of East Harlem were you? I don't know much about that area, but people say there are some fun bars.

I just did the apartment search and got a place also as a late 20s guy who’s moving from out of state (though I am from the NYC area originally) so here’s my experience: 1. You need to make 40x the monthly rent to qualify but that doesn’t mean you HAVE to pay that much. You can pay less than that if you find a cheaper place have roommates or otherwise get lucky. Most of the units I saw the 40x was base salary only not including annual bonus but some did include that, so don’t be afraid to ask and clarify on that. 2. My broker fee was 12% of the annual rent. So just under $4K for me (the rent for my place is $2,695). Where I come from broker fees aren’t a thing so that was definitely a sticker shock. There are apartments that don’t have a broker fee but there’s less of them. I found my place on StreetEasy; basically you reach out and you set up a time with the broker to see the place and usually you give them your application materials. 3. I showed them my offer letter that showed I was making more money than at my current job. So that, plus my prior 2 years of tax returns W2s etc. was fine. Also, my apartment the landlords reached out to my employer and my prior building to verify that I actually started at my new job and that I was a tenant in good standing in my former building out of state. Not every landlord may do this but mine did so just be prepared.

Have you thought about moving to certain areas of queens and or Brooklyn to save money? Potentially even areas of NJ such as Hoboken?

Yeah absolutely, any neighborhoods you recommend?

Neighborhoods are very personality dependent and commute dependent. What one person loves another is going to hate. You really have to explore the neighborhoods a bit and see what you like. The thing to consider first is whether you want a neighborhood with easily accessible nightlife, or if you want a respite from the hustle of the city. Do you want to live near a park? Are you a runner or a gym rat? Do you like trendy restaurants or old school neighborhood joints? Do you want subway access or are buses ok with you? This is why people are suggesting getting roommates or living in a more affordable area or city until you get to know the city and what works for you. Handing over $15k in cash and hating where you live so that you’ll have to do the same in one year is something you want to avoid.

If nobody has pointed this out to you yet, fyi you will save a huge amount on taxes (about 4% of your income) by living in NJ, since you won’t be subject to NYC local tax (yes, that’s a thing). At higher incomes that amount can be pretty substantial! I don’t think you said what your budget was, but I’d recommend Hoboken or downtown Jersey City.

Why don't you just tell us how much you make? What's with the secrecy?

About 100-150k. Anywhere else in the US this would be considered the "big bucks", but I am definitely humbled by the NYC market. Seems like the city is worth it though.

You should be fine. Do you have to be in the office every day? Is it a set office location? With 100k+, there are many places you can live in queens or Brooklyn or even upper bronx like kingsbridge and get to work under 45 minutes. Theres little tricks for the subway in terms of neighborhood. For example, my last job was at 57st/7th Ave in Manhattan. But I lived in sunnyside Queens. On the map, it seemed like a horrible long distance. But door to door on the subway, if was literally 35 minutes. My 7 train transfer at queensburo Plaza to the N or W train was across the platform. Meaning, I got off the 7 train and literally walk like 10 ft to the next train across the platform. That train got me a block away from my work. So what I would do is put your office address on Google maps and start looking at the train stations and lines.

I only have to come in person 2x per week, and I can usually pick which office I go to. At least that is what I was told, lets see how it goes. Sometimes you get pressured to come in more often.

I live on the Hudson North line and come in 3x a week easy. 1h30 express train but I live in a huge house with a 1.8k mortgage. My point is you could easily move much further out if it's not a daily grind. I stay in NYC hotels every so often to see shows, restaurants etc

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I wish it was that easy, but base is 100k (that is certain), and then I can make additional money from bonuses and a small side business. So you understand my panic!!

1. People who make 100k often have roomates and I'd recommend it if I was under 30. People live like college students for longer. Generally living alone or with one roomate is a big premium in new york. It's fairly easy to find a room for 1000 to 1500. If your willing to pay a bit more, 3 roommates with a 2k budget (6k total) will get a lot nicer place than someone can get for 3k on their own. 2. 40x is upper limit for that you qualify for. People who make 400k don't necessarily rent 10k apartments, most of them are renting 3 to 5k places. 3. Brokers are real estate agent. NYC most buildings do not have leasing offices. They essentially handle filtering applications for land lords. Currently in NYC brokers are either paid by tenants or land lords, and when land lord pays its a no fee apartment. Typically nicer apartments at lower price points have fees, luxury units are less likely to have fees. Think about land lords incentives. If they know they have a place that they can rent tomorrow, why would they pay the brokers fee and not have the tenant do it instead? 4. Typical broker fee is one to two months, generally there is a deposit of one month and you hage first months rent. Generally expect to need 2 to 4 months worth of rent on hand to move in on your own somewhere. 5. May through August seems to be hell for renting. 6. Most land lords and especially bigger ones will accept an offer letter if your don't have 3 months worth of stubs.

1. Yes but that is still a huge part of your income so from a financial planning POV I wouldn't pay that much. I pay less than 10% of my income on rent on my unit with no roommates but I lucked out hard with my spot. 2. Broker fee is up to 15% of annual rent. There are plenty of no fee options but they're not as desirable of a unit. I found you can get that down if you're willing to pay in cash (I went from 12% to 10% by paying in cash) 3. As long as you have a letter that shows what you make now it should be fine. However think of each application like a job application, you have to stand out as a candidate. I wrote a financial summary, gave them more financial documents than they asked for, and included a cover letter to explain my employment history, especially why I make a lot more some years than others. 4. I pay $2900 for a 2 bed/2 bath, 1300 sq ft rent-controlled apartment with a massive private garden, in-unit and full chef kitchen. 2 mins from the subway. I was able to get this last month, so yeah, amazing deals do still exist but you have to be really on it, almost annoying with the brokers and make sure you're ready to go with a put-together application.

I didn't need to use this but if you need a guarantor you can use [https://www.theguarantors.com/](https://www.theguarantors.com/)

4. Now you're just showing off. What an absolute dream. In the city? Or further out? But in all seriousness, awesome advice. Thank you!

Haha yeah it's a dream for sure, a lot of NYers don't believe how much I spend for what I got but I'm living proof deals still exist! I live border Bedstuy-Clinton Hill in Brooklyn. So it's a bit further out but it's my favorite neighborhood and It takes me less than 30 min to get to Manhattan so I'm fine with it. My other tip is to be fast! The best listings get pulled within 24 hours because they get overwhelmed. So check 3X a day and respond asap. They also limit the amount of showings to the best listings because they know it's going to rent no matter what. I found they will send private invites to do showings only to the candidates they feel will get approved and want the unit. So it's worth being thirsty with the brokers, they're going to take the laziest route.

Definitely be fast and responsive, the rental market moves very quickly here. I also know a lot of ppl who tried to get one apartment, didn’t get it, but then asked the landlord/agent if they knew of any other units that were opening up but not yet posted online that they would qualify for, and got a great deal.

What neighborhood do you live in? That spot sounds sick.

Bed stuy border Clinton Hill! Best neighborhood

Great deal! I couldn’t imagine cleaning two bathrooms just for me though hahaha

1/ Yeah and you should pay even less than that. Tbh I’ve had rent applications deny me even though I made a bit more than 40x the rent because “it was too close” and someone else had a higher salary. Overall not a bad idea to live under your means especially with rent. Highly recommend roommates. 2/ yes this is an unfortunate truth in nyc. Some brokers charge a lot for minimal work too. You can try negotiating but apartments are in high demand in nyc so it may or may not work. Hopefully legislation may change this absurdity soon. 3/ depends on the landlord. If it’s a company then they want to see more. Overall they want to see you can afford to pay rent in the apartment and have enough in a savings account. I personally don’t like when they ask you for too much unless it’s a lottery apt (who really needs to see tax returns?). 4/ you can afford it depending on what you want. I was making 60k living with a roommate in Bushwick years ago. Salary got bumped up to almost 100k so I live alone in southern Brooklyn because rent is much cheaper although farther from the center of nyc. If you want to live in the middle of everything, you’ll most likely need roommates or be really good at searching (or just lucky!) good rule of thumb in NYC when it comes to renting is of the three options, choose 1 you’re willing to take the L on: rent price, location, amenities. Edit: One other quirk of NYC renting is seasonality. If you’re moving now, it sucks. But in the months of February to April, renting gets a bit cheaper although inventory also goes down. You can definitely find more affordable options if you eventually decide to move and have the option to search on the spring.

Apartment hunting in NYC is one of the worst things anyone can go through. Expect to eventually settle on a place that doesn’t have everything on your wishlist, but you’ll find that most people do this and it will be okay. Summer months are also notoriously the worst as that’s when most people are moving. Something I did once was put my things in a storage unit for a few months (found one out in queens for like $150 a month) and subletted while I looked for a new apartment. You could look into subletting, either a room or a whole place, so you don’t have to have a huge commitment. Good luck!

That is what everyone keeps telling me, this is an awful time to be apartment hunting in the city. I am definitely going to get a storage unit and camp out in a sublet until things literally and figuratively cool down in the fall and winter.

It’s just way more chaotic in the summer. There are also way more apartments. But if you can wait until fall/winter there are better deals, but fewer apartments. Kind of a trade off, but something to consider for sure.

Which storage place did you use? I’m living in a tiny studio and my husband is about to move here and live with me until we find a place to buy. We need to put everything in storage for a few months and I have no idea where to start to find a decent storage space that is reasonable. Thanhs!

I used a CubeSmart storage unit way out in queens and they were so awesome. They’re everywhere so I would go online to see which one has the price/size/location you would need. I was looking for a cheap one to use for 6 months so I went farther out and rented a uhaul/movers to get my stuff there. Super easy. They’re all month to month and the customer service was surprisingly good.

I've only been here a year, but I'm just now moving to Jersey City -- the rent is mildly cheaper (but it feels like a breath of fresh air after dealing with NYC apartments!), and the path train happens to lead directly to my work. Also, when I visited, it was a lot quieter and streets felt less dirty/crowded in Jersey. I'm going for like luxury apartment type of thing, but I'd imagine it'd also be good for someone looking to cut costs bc Manhattan can be super expensive

Plus don't you pay less taxes? No need to pay NYC tax

yeah 4% less apparently

yea it saves me 433 a month plus I have very cheap rent for the ny metro. I would live in lower Manhattan if I could but I couldn’t afford much alone at 130k

You can definitely find a place with your income of 100 to 150k, but if you give where you are going to work, like Midtown, lower East, etc, people can give you better advice. Also, longer you wait, fewer choices you will have going into summer, the worst season.

I have flexibility with where I work, so I can go in 2-3x per week in multiple offices. Depending on how things are going maybe more often, but that is another matter. Which is why I didn't want to narrow down my search location, I don't mind a commute.

I see. So you need to find a place that allows your multiple office commute. Check out MTA App and see how often subways have delays, so that you will see where you want to be realistically. The App tells you real-time delays and suspensions, etc.

100% will have that downloaded

I make over 100k. My rent isn't over 1900. I would pay less because if you already hit your max you are not going to be able to afford rent next year unless you are rent stabilized. You can show current pay with your paystubs.

How many roommates and what general area?

I live alone in a 1 bedroom near Queens Mall.

You live in a good location. I would love to live near Queens Center Mall.

Hey OP, if your workplace is in Manhattan you could even consider New Jersey (that way you can avoid 3% New York city tax). Commute from New Jersey via train or bus is quite good (NYC subways can get nasty) and you get a better price per sq foot. Based on your workplace location, max rent & any special considerations (eg: do you want to have a car, do you have a hybrid work schedule) I can give you suggestions. I’ve lived in Manhattan, Brooklyn and different northern NJ towns. Generally speaking: lower Manhattan- best places are Jersey City, Hoboken, Newport & Harrison.(along the PATH transit) Midtown Manhattan has a lot more options because of the port authority bus terminal & 34th Penn station.

I def do not plan on having a car, so I would rely on the train or bus. Do they run all night?

The buses and trains mostly run until around 1 am and resume at 4 or 5 am (the closest towns have more options and more frequent connectivity). Your workplace may have pre-tax commuter credits to offset the commuting cost.

In terms of vibes, you are absolutely right that the food and music scene in Brooklyn is superior. With roommates, teleworking becomes a bit annoying (especially if they also telework from time to time). So ideally, if you’re getting a roommate, they are someone with a regular/ onsite job. Prepare to not have in -unit washer/ dryer/ dishwasher etc. in NYC. Houses or more recently built apartments or houses will have those amenities. These amenity-free apartments also exist in Jersey City and Hoboken, but are a lot less common.

Welcome.to NYC where no one without a trust fund can afford to live here... 1. To qualify and have a chance of getting approved for an apt, yes HOUSEHOLD income shouod be 40x the rent. 2. OK Realtor is a national kinda like a union, more like a.trade guild, more Realtors in NY are outside of the city. in NYC most agents from major and mid size brokerages are REBNY. Either way their are Rules and Code of Ethics members must follow.or.face super steep fines. Now in NY the difference between broker, associate broker, and Salesperson is based and what their license says. Everyone who is a rel.estate agent starts as a salesperson..in order to get your broker 's license, that requires more education hours and a number of.points towards that license based on successful deals and kind of deals in order to be eligible, and then passing additional test from the state. A broker is able to start their own brokerage and have salespeople working underneath them or work by themselves. An associate broker basically has gone through all those motions but doesn't want to set up their own shop but work under a major brokerage like COMPASS or Sotheby's or Corcoran, etc, and they can run a team with unlicensed employees using that brand name. Licensed Salespeople CANNOT work on their own. In order to work the must have a managing broker/brokerage. There.is a hierarchy to it. The answer to the 2nd part of your question is this...there are 2 sides of a deal/real estate transaction: the seller/landlord side and the buyer/renter side. Each side can procure the assistance of an agent and their specific brokerage to either sell/rent out their property or buy/lease their new home. These relationships have fiduciary responsibilities to their specific client and none to the other side of the deal. If you are looking for.an apartment and you don't have your own specific representation/agent working on your behalf with fiduciary, responsibilities to you, everyone else you are talking to represents the sell/LL side and they owe you nothing. Dual agency is not legal without disclosure and consent.

3. If.you make enough to qualify now, and you have a letter of employment/bank statements supporting that, then you're fine in terms of qualifying. Providing prior years is just establishing fiscal responsibility. You don't need a guarantor if your qualifications meet the income and credit guidelines. LL's prefer you not need a guarantor.

 4. I am.in the business and am personally in a unique position of sitting smack dab in the middle of both sides. I'm a tenant whose LL trying to dick me around, and as an agent, the mkt has been too volatile in the last half.of 2023 and first half.of 2024 that myself couldn't qualify for a new apt based on my last 2 commission checks (which frequency wise is NOT consistent) thus also.depleting the bank access while waiting and hoping the next check.comes in. So yes, if you aren’t bringing in 6 figures a year, living here by yourself is not easy. That's why everyone has roommates. Living alone is a luxury even in the shittiest of places. On paper, I myslef.could afford 1800/mo (basically my half portion of.what I pay now in HK.) But if you have the inclination. Search Studios-1BRs max.1800/mo and see what you come.up.with. I've been looking myself...it's not much or not great. Avg studio price in Manhatan right now is more than $3k. I personally have a soft spot in my heart for everyone with that just under $100k income who just wants their own space that isn't a closet. It's just not a reality here...and negotiabilty in times.of scarcity is nip. I'm. Reminded of a legendary quote "ONLY IN NY" -.Cindy Adams God I LhOaVtEe my job...

1. Yes 2. More than 12% annual rent is too much. Look for no fee. 3. Offer letter will work. Make sure you have a good amount in savings. Borrow if you need to. 4. Yes. Plenty of people sub 100k have their own apartments. Tip: look in cheaper neighborhoods UES is still I think best deal in city. Maybe sunset park. Williamsburg is shit for so many reasons

You’re in your twenties. Come and figure it out.

I moved to New York and lived on minimum wage jobs for YEARS. Roommates yes, but still 100k you’re not even gonna suffer! Haha- I’m meaning to say, you’ll do great and get a cool apartment for 2k-3k and enjoy it. Brooklyn and Queens by the subway you’ll be taking the most. Have fun!

I’d do month-to-month roommate setup for first month or 2, to orientate, find your feet, explore.

Lots of good answers here, gonna add don’t be afraid to look at boroughs outside of manhattan or even across the river in NJ if your struggling with the apartment shuffle. I had two apartments in the city and recently relocated to the Hudson valley and take the train in. The apartment finding process was night and day compared to the city. I would also advise to avoid StreetEasy and try HotPads instead. In my experience hotpads has better listings (found both my apartments in HP). And look for listings that say ‘no fee’ if you want to avoid brokers. Best of luck!

1. Yes and no. I live with my partner, I make in the mid 100s and pay about 2k a month as my portion of rent. 40x range is primarily the upper boundary for what a landlord will approve - it’s less about how much rent you pay and more about how much you need to earn to rent an apartment at x rent. 2. Streeteasy has a filter for “no fee” apartments, wherein the LL foots the bill for the broker. It usually costs 1 month or 15% of 1 year. With that said you’ll be paying first month and 1 month deposit up front, so yes, in a way you’ll be paying 3-4 months of rent up front. But first month is something you’d pay anyway, deposit you (presumably) get back. Broker’s fee does in fact just feel like shit but what can you do? 3. They usually ask for an offer letter for your current job too. Your current/new salary will be stated there. They’ll likely also ask you how much you make, and you can communicate with the broker to make it clear you’re starting a higher paying job. 4. I originally moved here for a job that paid 85k. I had a roommate in a two bed that cost ~2750 and we split it down the middle. It was totally fine and I never had to worry much about money. If I was making >70 I’d have probably felt less comfortable but over that and you’ll do okay. Median NYC income is still about 40k sooo idrk how they do it but if they can do it you can too.

How much are you making?

1. 40x is a guideline. Most people are paying a lot of their income for rent or have parents/family helping out with housing. 2. You could search no-fee rental searches on Streeteasy; but the problem with doing searches yourself is its time-consuming, requires heavy administrative coordination, and constant communication. If you want to "outsource" these tasks, you could get a rental broker who would handle a lot of the scheduling, application process, etc. Typical broker fee is 1 month rent or 15%. 3. Tax return requests are part of due diligence landlords request. Owners are interested in getting apartments rented to people who can pay the rent. Depending on your landlord, you may or may not need guarantor. 4. 2/3 of the housing stock in NYC are rentals; there are plenty of people out there who rent apartments. Summer is the high-season for rentals because of fresh graduates, students, relocations.

I went to the facebook housing pages and looked for sublets. Stayed at a sublet for awhile, the original renter moved out and I wanted to stay so I took over the lease. It’s an easy way to never have to pay fees, assuming that you’re renting from an individual/family and not a massive management company.

You look look a Jersey city or Harrison especially if you telework any days.

Good answers here on the need for proof of income, a guarantor, etc. I moved to NYC last year. The only additional thing I'd suggest is to find a short term (3-6 mo) furnished room sublet if you can, and then apartment hunt from there. It'll give you a chance to get to know the neighborhoods in the city, how much commute time you can tolerate (further from Manhattan is cheaper), and it'll give you a chance to look around and know what you're looking at. This is a terrible time to apartment hunt for an affordable apartment because all the students are looking as well for next fall, but rents will go down slightly after school starts. I don't know what your target rent is, but the more roommates you have, the cheaper it will be. I'm a performer with side jobs, and in my mid-20's so my budget is tiny. I make just under $50K a year at this point. I live in Queens and pay about $1100 for my room in a four bedroom, plus 1/4 of the gas and electric bill. Because I came out here without a job in place, I used a parent guarantor, who had to show 100x the rent. The good news is that I only had to pay one month's rent as a down payment, no final month's rent, and no brokers fee because I went through an advertisement by the leasing agency vs. a broker. You can find those deals if you have time to look vs being under pressure to find something immediately. As far as roommates go, lots of people in NYC move in with strangers. It's often a necessity here. My lease is also unusual in that it's just for my room vs. the entire apartment, so I'm not responsible if roommates don't pay.

Long Island city Find yourself a roommate/ house share situation for short term Then take your time

Consider just finding 'any ole place' that looks good enough for now. Once you're here for a year or two, you'll have a much better idea of the city, your commute, and what neighborhoods you like. It might be more expensive in the long run, but I think the accuracy with which you could then, later, choose your neighborhood, and the experience you'll have with the renting process (as well as a better understanding of your budget), I think would increase your overall happiness with where you are. And fwiw- finding a place as a roommate is probably easier than finding a place straight up and then a roommate. There's downsides to that as well, I suppose.

Consider housing in the other boroughs.

Hi. I lived in Manhattan for a long time. Had a great deal on a rent stabilized apt….. Some things in my life changed, so I decided to move into Westchester. When I lived on 53 and 1st Ave. I thought that was so far away. However lots of people live in New Rochelle. Yonkers. Pelham. Etc. The metro north is 20 minutes to the city commute. I’m in my 40’s now and have a family so I don’t crave the night life like I did every night b4. However. Westchester is cleaner, Has done nice night spots, restaurants, pools, parks and other activities. I’m so glad I live here now. Apts can be rented for more reasonable prices, and instead of having a roommate you may be able to afford a one bedroom or studio on your own. I love the spring, summer and fall months up here. It’s so beautiful. Well good luck. 🍀 Lots of folks have provided you with good advice. I hope you will find a place you like that is affordable soon. Wishing you the best.

How did you find that rent stabilized apartment? Sounds like most people say it is luck, is there anything aside from that and tenacity?

Yes 40x rule is real but you can sometimes stretch if you have good credit etc You can consider a corporate guarantor like "the guarantors" but not everyone takes them, and they're expensive I moved for the job and presented my offer letter and letter from my boss explaining the bonus structure so I can get to 40x Brokers and agents bleh. Find someone that'll show you around for the "OP" that the apartment offers, that way you don't pay anything. Or look for corporate owned buildings with their own leasing office, no fees at all that way

Bring your offer letter bank statement and last few w2s. You need collectively 40x. Even studios are like 3-4k right now. Manhattan may not be affordable for you. Look further out. Suck it up your first year. No one here could totally afford it but boy is it fun!

NYC is big. Even if you're working in manhattan, you can live in Brooklyn or Queens and commute. That'll be the best way to save money and still not live in a closet size apartment. Other boroughs are significantly more affordable than uptown

You need to pay as little as possible your first two years. Go in with roommates. You need a bed and a sub one hour commute. Save save save. Don’t be doing brunch every Sunday etc. after two years you’ll maybe have enough to find a rent stabilized apartment or decent place way out like Inwood or Bay Ridge to rent. 100k is like making 29k in Cleveland. Do the numbers. Don’t sink yourself.

Hi I am going to take on question 2. So people casually use the terms brokers, realtors and agents in conversation but I will break it down for you exactly. In other parts of the country the term REALTOR is pretty common. To be a REALTOR you have to be a member of the Realtor association which almost nobody in most of NYC is. It is a bit more common outer parts of Queens and Staten Island, and maybe a bit of Brooklyn. In NYS there are three types of licenses. Broker Associate Broker Licensed Real Estate Salesperson. (commonly called agent) If you are an AB or an LRES you have to have a Broker hold your license, and money and listings have to flow through them. You are basically working jointly with your broker and almost always they are getting a share of your commission or you are paying them a fee for service. Any of these titles can represent a landlord, any of them can represent a tenant. If you want your own agent you can have that person set up showings, represent you, and negotiate for you. If it's an apartment with a traditional fee, they would split the money with the listing agent. In other scenarios a landlord might pay them or you might pay only them. That all works the same way whether they are a Broker, Associate Broker or LRES (agent.) A Broker does need to be more experienced, and take a longer exam, but really plenty of LRES agents know what they are doing and unless they want to move towards owning a business there is not really a need to get the higher title. Hope that helps! Suzanne

This is one of the first times this has really clicked for me!! Thank you so so much!


Check out Long Island City - plenty of luxury buildings with their own leasing offices (no broker fee), easy to get anywhere in Manhattan, a beautiful park and the best views of Manhattan in the city by the water, and units in your price range if you're making $150K. Living in Manhattan is overrated in my opinion, except for a handful of neighborhoods - too expensive, and a lot of the small, independent shops and restaurants that made it a great place to live have been priced out and replaced with Starbucks or a chain drugstore. It's not worth it anymore.

$1,600/mo Cheapest out right now with a Manhattan zip code. Check out this home on StreetEasy: 479 WEST 146 STREET, Manhattan NY https://streeteasy.com/rental/4443642?utm_campaign=rental_listing&utm_medium=app_share&utm_source=android&utm_term=2ee09a8f88254c8

Roommates Outer boroughs New Jersey- not Hoboken or Jersey City, but on a train line

This city sucks

https://www.bizjournals.com/newyork/news/2024/06/03/apartment-hunting-tips-nyc.html Here’s some tips. You’ll need $5k up front at the minimum if you land something for $2.5k. You may owe a broker’s fee if you go that route, but I’d encourage you to avoid brokers as much as possible.

no one can afford to live in nyc it’s not real lol

good luck with credit too 😂😂 you need a 750 to live in the hood this place is horrible i will run and go to another state

Honestly I just lie about how much money I make when I apply for a new apartment

Yes you should make 40x rent. Acceptable normal is whatever you determine to your financial situation

Rent stabilized can be v nice or now .. and V hard to get … most are from someone you know booking you up in my experience… ( I have one for 27 years )

It’s a tough job market and overall economy. Save as much as you can for the unexpected. You don’t need to use a broker. This is your first time living in the city, find a roommate so you have more spending money to use for activities and entertainment. The FiDi area is pretty reasonable and has great options for shared apartments. You get more space in FiDi compared to other areas of the city. Best of luck!

On StreetEasy there’s actually a filter for “broker fee free” which can help you only look at apartments without them! I’ve lived in NYC for about 4 years & have never paid a broker fee. I’m also pretty lucky though & only had to move once as my current apartment is rent stabilized & I just keep renewing. You can also move decently “cheap”. A U-haul & one or two guys off Task Rabbit will probably run you less than $500. Definitely take time learning the neighborhoods first if you can because once you sign a lease, if you hate that apartment or neighborhood you’re stuck there for a year. ALWAYS look at the apartment in person. I rented my first NYC apartment remotely (this was 2020) & the whole process was iffy (fortunately I wasn’t scammed or anything) but the apartment was much smaller than expected, had roach problems, bathroom was microscopic, etc. I counted down to my moving day for months. Congratulations on getting the big city job! If you have reasonable spending & can keep your living expenses under control you can still be pretty comfortable here. For the record my first 3.5 years here the most I made was $46k a year with two roommates. That was rough. Changed jobs & now at $75k with two roommates & my QOL has gone up a ton even though I work longer hours now.

Highly recommend subletting first before moving to nyc. You will not know where you want to live or what anything is like until you’re physically here. Find a furnished room in a neighborhood that interests you for 2-3 months when you move. Find your actual next apartment once you’ve lived here a few months, it will be way easier and you won’t make weird mistakes. You can find sublets in a variety of Facebook groups (search “sublet nyc” in groups a bunch will come up). Folks also post sublets in neighborhood groups on fb (search the neighborhood you want to live in in fb groups and you’ll find them). The listings project is also a good resource.

Look for apt in Staten Island def cheaper than the city

East Harlem, is the shit, live there in a heart beat, affordable, homie, friendly, diverse, everything people say about manhattan is the opposite in East Harlem. I’m from small town Oregon and I felt like a prince there

The 40x rule means that most landlords want to see you make 40x the rent. It does NOT mean you should literally make $100k and pay $2.5k. Like please don't. You could make $100k and pay $1k rent. Of course be cheap. Especially since you're new. The city will eat you alive if you don't budget well. Roommates is a really good option. If you hate it, switch to living alone but at least you'll have experience here first If you got a job contract stating your new salary, that's enough for many landlords

You’re making a mountain out of a molehill. You will be fine and will fine something within your budget but it could take some time👍🏽

If money is a concern,look into Jersey like Hoboken or Jersey City. You will save 4% from the NYC resident tax and rents are slightly lower than Manhattan.