5 Tips for Finding New York City Apartments

Bright lights, big city; the glamour of New York City is enough to impress even the most seasoned traveler. Finding NYC apartments on the other hand is all about rent control, working plumbing, the nearest comfortable café with free Wi-Fi and parking if you are insane enough to try to bring a car into the city. Finding NYC apartment rentals takes skill, luck and/or a lot of money. Here are five tips to make the process a little bit easier. NYC Apartments are all About Location Nowhere does the old real estate adage: location, location, location have any more meaning than it does in New York City. Every neighborhood in the city has a very different community and different things to offer. Living in Brooklyn is miles away from living on the West Side and Soho is a world away from the quiet streets of the Upper (not too far upper) East Side. New York City apartments are difficult to find but compared to getting out of bad NYC rental contracts, renting is a piece of cake. Taking enough time to understand the neighborhoods before signing a lease increases the likelihood of finding the right place. Moving in NYC is always expensive and difficult. Choose your neighborhood carefully and don't compromise. Rent Control and New York City Apartments Once the location is settled, it is time to start looking at NYC apartment rentals in earnest. New York City is filled with old buildings and in many of these old buildings there are rent controlled apartments filled with tenants who may never leave. While rent control allows a mixed socioeconomic community to exist within NYC, as a new renter you are not going to benefit from rent control. New renters pay current market rates and the rent they pay subsidies the rent control apartments in the rest of the building. This means that the ratio of rent controlled apartments to non-rent control apartments has a direct impact on the maintenance of the building. Building owners are usually more reluctant to fix things like common areas, heat, and plumbing in buildings where the ratio of rent control to non-rent control is too high. Ask about this ratio before renting and, all things being equal, choose a building with fewer rent controlled apartments. Kitchens aren't that Important in New York City Apartments Anywhere else in the country renting an apartment with a nice kitchen is important, but not in the Big Apple. New York City is filled with excellent take out, to go, delivery and restaurant food. Most New Yorkers rarely take the time to cook. Eating out is faster and often cheaper. When looking at NYC apartments, always choose an extra room over a large kitchen. New York City offers an abundance of restaurants, take-out, and delivery options, so an expansive kitchen isn't necessary. Beware of Odd Rental Schemes in NYC Apartments When it comes to NYC apartment rentals, if the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. Beware of subleases, roommate deals, short-term rentals and any other strange living arrangements. There are a variety of reputable apartment agents in the city to help new residents with the entire process, if it all seems too overwhelming. Budget Properly for NYC Apartment Rentals According to the New York City Rent Guidelines Board, on average a person in NYC pays 33.8% of their income for housing. This is higher than almost anywhere else in the country. In order to compensate for rental costs, consider removing other expenses (usually a car and car insurance) from the budget. Fancy gym memberships, large cable bills and massages may also need to go to make living in the city feasible. Designing a good budget and sticking to it is one of the most difficult things to do in NYC. It's a Big Apple and an exciting place to live, but new tenants should budget and select their new home wisely.