Finding a place to live

Finding an apartment in Manhattan can be a daunting process. In today's tight real estate market, stories abound about apartment hunters seeing scores of units before finding a suitable one, only to be outbid by a prospective tenant with check in hand. It is also common to hear anecdotes about unbelievable deals on centrally-placed apartments found simply by word-of-mouth. How do apartment hunters actually find a place to live in Manhattan? Check out our list to see the most common ways New Yorkers find apartments.

A broker is a person who does most or all of the apartment hunting work for you. Not for free -- brokers charge fees for finding you an apartment. That fee varies. It is usually equivalent to a little more than one month's rent, but it can be as high as 15% or 20% of one year's rent. This adds considerably to your living expenses, especially if you do not plan on staying in the apartment for several years.

Using a broker also has several advantages. Brokers will do your leg work; they find apartments and make appointments to fit your schedule. A broker would probably be invaluable to an individual who is unable to take time off from work, or someone who lives out of town. Brokers also tend to have a wide selection of apartments to choose from, and they have access to apartments not available to the general public. If you do decide to use a broker, there are several ways to find one. Many brokers advertise in newspapers or in online classified ads, and you can also find brokers in the good old yellow pages. Finally, many companies have associated brokers used for relocating employees. Ask your human resources person if there is a broker your company uses.

If you decide not to use a broker, you will want to clear your calendar for a few weeks and take your vitamins, because you have a lot of work ahead of you.

Find an apartment yourself using these techniques

There is good news for those who would prefer not to pay hefty brokers' fees: a substantial number of New Yorkers find their units by word-of-mouth, mostly from friends, relatives, and
co-workers. If you're looking for an apartment, make sure everyone you know knows that you're looking.

This is the secend most common method used by recent movers. Movers cite using:

*The Sunday New York Times' Real Estate section, printed Friday night and delivered to dealers sometimes on
  Sunday, contains the best rental listings in the city.
*The Village Voice is also a good source of rental listings for Manhattan. Newsstans deliveries are made around
  5 a.m. Wednesdays.
*The Wall Street Journal's Friday edition lists apartments for rent.

Many newspapers now post their classified ads online, so make sure to check out the Web sites of local papers and online message boards like:

*Craig List (www.craiglist.com)
*Backpage (www.backpage.com)
*Rent.com (www.rent.com)
*City Rent (www.citirent.com)
*Metro List Xpress, (www.mlx.com)

A small but notable percentage of movers find their apartment when they simply see a "For Rent" sign or just walk in from a street. It can pay to walk around the neighborhood you want to live in and look around.

Neighborhood bulletin boards, postings

Aside from letting you know what the area is like, walking around the areas that you would like to live can be helpful in uncovering leads. People often post flyers offering nearby apartment sublets and rentals at churches, gyms, recreation centers, bus stop shelters, and telephone booths in the neighborhood. Go. Look.

Rental Builidings in Manhattan NYC

BATTERY PARK CITY, located on the southernmost tip of Manhattan's West Side and just a short walk uptown from the Financial District.

* 22 River Terrace 
* Gateway Plaza, 375 South End Avenue
* Riverwatch Place Riverwatch Place, 70 Battery Place
* The Solaire The Solaire,  20 River Terrace
* The Verdesian, 211 North End Avenue
* Tribeca Bridge Tower, 450 North End Avenue
* Tribeca Green, 325 North End Avenue
* Tribeca Park,  400 Chambers Street
* Tribeca Pointe,  41 River Terrace

CHELSEA, Chelsea's boundaries stretch North from 14th Street to 34th St and West from Sixth Avenue to the Hudson River.

* 777 Sixth Avenue, 777 Sixth Avenue
* Archstone Chelsea, 800 Sixth Avenue
* Chelsea Centro, 220 West 26th Street
* Chelsea Landmark,  55 West 25th Street
* Chelsea Place, 363 West 30th Street
* Echelon Chelsea,  37 West 21st Street
* Port 10 Port 10, 303 Tenth Avenue
* Stonehenge Gardens,  108 West 15th Street
* The Capitol at Chelsea,  55 West 26th Street
* The Magellan, 35 West 33rd Street
* The Olivia,  315 West 33rd Street
* The Sierra,  130 West 15th Street
* The Tate,  535 West 23rd Street
* The Vanguard Chelsea,  77 West 24th Street
* The Westminster, 180 West 20th Street
* Tower 31, 9 West 31st Street
* The Continental,  885 Sixth Avenue
* The Epic,  125 East 31st Street

CLINTON, covers everything from the Hudson River to Fifth Ave between 34th and 57th St

Reading this will save you thousands in brokers fees!!!

Most people spend 3 to 6 weeks looking for their new apartment rental. Afterall, the average one bedroom walkup apartment in Manhattan in 2009 cost $2,950 per month. Meaning the average apartment hunter is on the verge of making a bare minimum $35,400 investment decision for the year, not including application fees, moving costs, or utilities which could easily total an additional $4,000 in expenses (based on $200 a month in utilities, and $2,000 in moving costs.) If handled properly, thoroughly and meticulously finding a no fee apartment can be extremely satisfying and rewarding as well as cost effective. Step one in any apartment search has to be learning a little bit about how the process takes place, how to find an apartment, and just being comfortable with the process in general. Doing research and learning about how people find apartments in Manhattan is part of making a great decision and finding that ideal Manhattan no fee apartment.

Most landlords in New York City (certainly in Manhattan anyways) will only accept tenants who earn an income of at least 40 times the monthly rent, which means an $80,000 annual salary for a $2,000 per month apartment.
Credit scores are equally as important to most landlords and management company's with FICO scores needing to be in the 700+ range to qualify for an apartment without a guarantor.

If you do not think you will qualify by yourself, don't worry often you can use a co-signer or guarantor to help qualify you. Some landlords and management company's will require guarantors no matter what for 20-something year olds. Others will require guarantors to earn an annual income of 80 times the monthly rent (or $160,000 for that same $2,000 per month apartment.) Other landlords still simply won't accept any guarantors.

While every landlord in New York has their own set of rules and policies, its important to use the above guidelines as a rule of thumb and have your "ducks in a row" so to speak once you start looking for an apartment. You never know when that "Holy Grail" of an apartment is going to come along and sometimes you have to move FAST to get the right apartment.

What you want/can get for your money

Now, that you have a better understanding of what you can expect for financial requirements, the next step in your apartment search is deciding what exactly you want:
Price Range
Size or # of bedrooms and bathrooms (square footage)
Location or neighborhoods
Move-in date
Amenities (doorman, elevator, etc.)
Once you have done this, you are ready to begin your apartment search! Realize you should try and maintain flexibility. This is New York people! No one gets everything they want. So be realistic. Its good to have a "wish" list as well as a realistic list of needs, wants, and preferences when beginning your search. The more flexible you can be with all of your criteria the more likely you're going to be to find something exceptional and to find that amazing no fee apartment in the right location at the right price.

Finding an apartment

Once, you find an apartment you are interested in prior to viewing the apartment, you should review the owner's requirements to make sure you can QUALIFY for the apartment. If you do not think you will qualify by yourself, don't worry often you can use a co-signer or guarantor to help qualify you. Next is contacting the landlord and setting up a viewing appointment.

Be organized

Staying organized in an apartment search is important for so many reasons. When you go to view apartments, write down the exact addresses; take notes; ask questions. You never know when it will be convenient to reference this information. Remember, apartment searches often take many weeks. Just when you think your search may be over - you may have to go back to the drawing board. As a result, staying organized and being clear with yourself about your needs (or with roommates about preferences and wishes) is of the utmost importance.

Also, when you find a great apartment, fend off likely competitors by being prepared: check your own credit history and bring along a current credit agency report; if possible, ask your previous landlord to write a favorable letter of reference; and also ask your employer, co-workers, and friends if you can use them as character references (bring a list with names and telephone numbers).

Fees and Deposits

Find out exactly how much you are expected to pay up-front to rent the apartment. Note: security deposits may not be more than one month's rent in stabilized units; fees to superintendents or doormen, commonly called "key money,"
are illegal.

Who is on the Lease

If you are a renter, having your name on the lease gives you more protections and rights than any unsigned tenants. If you want your partner, child, spouse, roommate, or relative to have lease protections, it is a good idea to put their name on the lease at the outset (later additions may trigger a vacancy increase in stabilized apartments). But also be aware that more names on the lease may mean more complications in the future if relationships change.

Landlord's Right to Access

If you are concerned about privacy, be sure to ask for wording in the lease limiting the landlord's ability to enter your apartment (except during emergencies). Tenants in multiple dwellings also have the right to install and maintain their own locks on their apartment entrance doors, but you must provide the landlord with a duplicate key upon request.

Need More Help

For more information on your rights and responsibilities as a tenant, check out the
NYS Attorney General's Landlord/Tenant Guide. Also, if you are moving into a rent-stabilized apartment, you have additional rights as a tenant: check out the NYS DHCR Factsheets on our Web site.

NYS Attorney General's Landlord/Tenant Guide

NYS DHCR Factsheets