Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with newyorkcity and apartments

Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite!

anjamu — Tue, 16 May 2006 18:17:15 -0800

[New York City apartment filter] So my future roommate and I found a place we thought was perfect. We're thisclose to signing the lease. And then a search with HPD turns up 96 open violations in the building. How concerned should I be? We're working with a broker, and we have put down the security deposit but not the first month's rent (also required) and we haven't signed a lease yet.

The place seems almost too good to be true: spacious flex 2 BR for $2200 in the Financial District, replete with doorman, elevator, laundry in-building.

(I know, I know: if it seems too good to be true, well, it probably is.)

The 96 (!) open violations, courtesy of NYC HPD, include roaches, mice, all kinds of maintenance issues, and worst of all, bedbugs. Only 2 out of 5 tenants on apartmentratings.com recommended it, but I don't know how much weight to throw behind that, as I'd never heard of the site before today.

I should note that our broker is the only broker who rents places out in this building.

My questions include:

1) If a building has bedbugs, even if they are only cited in one apartment, do I run?
2) How many violations are normal? Is this excessive?
3) Are there any other city websites I should check out?
4) How much might it cost us to escape this deal?

Advice on NYC neighborhoods, for Aussie in Tokyo, moving to New York

aussie_in_NY — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 05:58:38 -0800

I'm relocating to NYC from Tokyo next month and am looking for some advice on prospective neighborhoods After 7 years in a tiny Tokyo apartment I'd like something with a bit of space, which rules Manhattan out I think. I'm looking for a 2 bedroom for around $1300-1600. I've checked out a lot of earlier posts and heard good things about Astoria. A friend has recommended Prospect Heights too, and after a look on craigslist it seems there is plenty in my price range. Does anybody have any insights on the relative merits of these areas, or have another neighborhood to recommend? I will be working around Times Square and would like to keep the commute to 30 min if possible. And finally as a related question, I am a little confused about US taxes. After federal and state taxes and then social security, what percent of my salary should I expect to have left, assuming pay of something like 80k?

nasty, brutish, and short

Falconetti — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 21:43:47 -0800

I have a questions about apartment hunting in New York. This summer I will be working in downtown NYC and then a year after that will be moving there permanently working at the same place. I am not really looking for online apartment listings, but rather if there are any websites, books, or publications that provide valuable advice for finding a place in general. Ideally, it would be something that provides information on maximizing one's apartment search, tips and tricks to avoid unscrupulous brokers and other sundry pitfalls, and any other advice.

I am fairly flexible as to the type of apartment and am looking in the $2000-$3000/month range. Although I am asking generally, I am hoping to live somewhere that is with 20-30 minutes of work (by subway), such as the LES or Park Slope. Unless someone magically comes into my life, I anticipate living alone, as well.

I've checked the other threads that are relevant to this topic. Any personal advice or experiences is also appreciated.

Moving to NYC.

spaghetti — Mon, 11 Apr 2005 09:19:22 -0800

What neighborhood should I move to in NYC? I'm starting my Master's at Pratt in the fall and my girlfriend is waiting to find out if she's been accepted to Columbia. We'll be moving over the summer to New York, but we just can't figure out what neighborhood to focus on. The most important thing is being someplace safe, but we don't have enough money to be too picky, basically around $1200/mo.

Everyone says that Brooklyn is where it's at, but most of the places we've seen listed are either too expensive or not anywhere we'd want to be. It looks like Inwood/Washington Heights and East Harlem are relatively affordable, but what are the neighborhoods like? Where else should we be looking? Is there a good resource for learning what all the neighborhoods are really like?

Partitioning a large studio apartment

condour75 — Tue, 16 Dec 2003 15:23:23 -0800

I'm moving into NYC for the first time. It's a studio, but a relatively large one, and I'd like to partition it. I've looked mainly at shoji screens, but I'd rather not take up the extra space with the accordion footprint. I don't want to spend a huge amount of money, or do anything that requires a permit. What are some creative options?; for_name=condour75 and follow up question: any other advice for a NYC newbie?