Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with nyc and apartments

Where can I find photos of NYCHA housing developments?

Joey Joe Joe Junior Shabadoo — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 08:42:38 -0800

I'm looking for photos of NYCHA public housing - particularly, the interior of apartments and communal areas. Where can I find photos like this online? I have no idea where to begin looking - I've found photos of building exteriors quite easily, but I'm having remarkable difficulty finding photos of the interior.

Photos of public housing in NYC is a priority, but if those are too difficult to find, I'd be interested in photos of similar public housing developments in Chicago, or other large cities. Floorplans would also be of interest, but again, no idea where to begin looking.

What are the rules on apartment subletting in New York?

btkuhn — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 07:45:17 -0800

What are the rules on apartment subletting in New York? Hi,

I live in Manhattan and work in finance. I'm recently out of college and am subletting a place. As is the case with most people my age, I can't afford a place of my own in Manhattan. I've had several friends (though none at the moment) who lived in a "loft share" - basically a huge loft with 5 or 6 bedrooms, shared among 5 or 6 people. I'm not sure how the lease worked - if they each signed individual leases with the landlord, or if the lease was in one of their names, or what.

This got me thinking. I remember when I first moved to the city and was looking for a place to stay for a few months while I got settled and could find a place to sign a lease. It was a huge pain in the ass because I lived in North Carolina, and my choices were either to pay exorbitant fees for a short-term rental or find a short-term sublet on craigslist, which was taking a big chance because I had no idea if the sublets on craigslist were legit, and I also didn't know what a reasonable price was. Anyways, I am sure there would be significant demand if someone rented out short-term (3-6 months) rooms in Manhattan, where people new to the city could rent while moving to the city and getting settled. I ended up paying $1500/month when I moved to the city, so I think $1200-1500 a month for a room in a loft or a large apartment wouldn't be unreasonable.

So my question is, is it legal to sign a lease for a loft rental, and then sublet individual rooms? Or do you need special permission for this (and if so, can the permission be got, or is it not allowed, period)? If the answer is no, how do you do this then...must you be the owner of the apartment?

Thanks

Good resources for finding livable rent-stabilized apartments in Manhattan?

jdruk — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:42:14 -0800

Good resources for finding livable rent-stabilized apartments in Manhattan? My husband and I are looking for the impossible - a livable, 700+ sqf, 1+ bedroom apartment in Manhattan that's not in Harlem, Washington Heights or the Upper East Side.

I've been living in the city for 15+ years, and I feel like I've exhausted the only resources that I know of - Craigslist, NYBits, friends and relatives... and I have nothing to show for it.

I know, it's ludicrous to even hope for such a thing. Nonetheless, does anyone have any suggestions of other things to try? I've heard people read the obits, but I'm afraid that as soon as a stabilized apartment opens up, it automatically goes to a family member of the managing company's boss or becomes destabilized.

So... any ideas? Success stories to share?

Advice for hunting for mid-range 3-bedroom apartment in NYC?

8k — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:01:11 -0800

Tips for finding a 3-bedroom apartment in NYC? A good friend and colleague is looking for a 3-br apartment in NYC (as they have 2 teenage daughters).
He's relocating for work, so he obviously has a reasonably good job, but definitely not a Wall St-type (either then or now) salary.

Everything >2 bedrooms seems to be quite high end - $4k and above - which is a bit too much. Kids' school is on upper west side.

Any suggestions for how to go about this? We are foreigners so the whole thing is a bit opaque.

Too good to be true?

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 12:50:28 -0800

NYC apartment question - she wants to pay me for my address. Good idea or bad idea? While looking for someone to rent a room to offset some expenses, I was approached by someone who wants to pay me to use my address in order to get her son into a better school district. Again: she wants to pay me the rent I am asking to NOT live here, simply to use my address. I'll need to put a utility bill in her name, sign a notarized form saying that she was living here at the time of the school registration, and present a copy of my lease. I realize that this is all a little dodgy and not something the Board of Ed. would be too happy about, but it also sounds like one of those weird NYC things that probably happens a lot in this cutthroat, survive and thrive by any means environment. Is there something I'm missing about this whole arrangement? How likely is it that the Board of Ed. will snoop around and find out about our arrangement? What are the consequences?

For what it's worth, I get an okay impression from her - she's not pushy in the least, she says that if I am in anyway uncomfortable with the whole thing then she'll move on. The only reason my scam-filter is going off at all is 'cuz it seems too good to be true.

does a nyc rental apartment need to have a certificate of occupancy?

Anonymous — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:19:26 -0800

nycfilter: is it legal to rent a newly-renovated apartment in an old residential building that doesn't have its certificate of occupancy yet? i know you are probably not a lawyer and even if you are, you're not my lawyer, but: i'm thinking about signing a lease on an apartment that was completely renovated recently. the building it's in is over a hundred years old and the former landlord was a slumlord who preferred to eat fines rather than fix it up to code; the new landlords bought it for a song and have spent money to bring it up to code, and they renovated two apartments that didn't have rent-stabilized tenants in them, one of which i'm looking to rent.

the apartment is configured as an open loft but i'd like to split up one end of it with pressurized walls to make two bedrooms—the landlord told me it would be okay as long as the walls didn't go all the way up to the ceiling because they hadn't had their inspection for the CO yet (electrical and plumbing inspections are already done) and the plans they filed for it were as an open loft, and that it would probably happen in a few months time and i could do whatever i wanted after that. is it legal to sign a lease on an apartment without a CO? should i be asking for reduced rent till then?

p.s. this is anonymous because my friends read ask mefi and i don't want them all up in my business.

Apartment rent being consolidated: stay or go?

amicamentis — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:31:51 -0800

My landlady is going to start charging rent by apartment ($2000/month for all) rather than by room ($530/month for me). Is it worth it to stay? Backstory: I moved to NYC a month and a half ago. I found my current apartment in Jamaica, Queens from a guy on Craigslist. He had advertised it as $530/month, and I would only be responsible for my room (aka if another room was vacant or someone else was late, then that wasn’t my problem). I appreciated the lack of lease because I wasn’t sure how long I would stay there. The Craigslist guy (Bryan) lived in an adjacent room. He is in another country for the summer and hard to get a hold of.

The landlady is a Chinese woman whose English is very poor. Her daughter’s English is fine. I had them approach me when I returned home the other day and told me that since they’ve had issues with other roommates not paying rent (Bryan hasn’t paid for August, these two Ukranian boys in the other room had people in the empty room without telling the landlady, forcing her to clean it again) that now she is going to switch how people pay and charge $2000 for the whole apartment each month, rather than require individual payments.

This sucks. The Ukranians are moving out in early September and the other room is currently vacant. Clearly Bryan is not a trustworthy renter and I do not want to be stuck with his financial problems. However, $530/month is very good for this area, and I also have my own bathroom/two closets in my room that I do not want to give up if I move.

I paid the landlady one month’s security deposit when I moved in and she is allowing me to stay at the same price until October 1st.

Question, at last: based on others’ experiences, what should I keep in mind if I stay? Would Craigslist be the best way to find new roommates? Should I have them sign a lease? Advance deposits? I would rather not be responsible for others in this apartment, but if anyone has some good systems for dealing with this I will listen avidly.

Also, I would rather not have answers relating to lawyers or be in any way contentious. I do not want to be on bad terms with the landlady, and I can definitely understand her frustration. However, I just moved in and have been a model tenant. I don’t like being faced with this difficulty.

Help me choose an apartment

sondrialiac — Fri, 30 May 2008 09:20:14 -0800

I am headed to law school in Brooklyn with a full ride and a great housing offer-- subsidized housing for 3 years. My partner and I can pick between two apartments, but we can't decide which we should take. One Bedroom
$1500/month
300 square feet
All but electricity included
Gorgeous historic brownstone building on beautiful residential street (Brooklyn Heights, trees, the works)
2nd floor of a 5 story walk-up
Laundry in basement
No A/C

Two Bedroom
$2040 a month
500 square feet
No utilities included
Great location, steps from subway and school, not particularly attractive street (bland, commercial, Downtown Brooklyn)
11th floor of an elevator building, GREAT view, Statue of Liberty, etc.
Laundry in basement
Central A/C

What would you do? Why? What factors should I be considering here? I can't view the actual apartments.

Thank you for any insight, opinions, anything that will help me brainstorm.

Is finding an apartment in NYC without going there to see it an option?

makonan — Thu, 29 May 2008 19:42:02 -0800

Relocating from St. Louis to New York (Queens/LI border). I need to find an apartment to move into July 1st. How screwed am I? Here's the lowdown:
After four months of interviewing and multiple flights and hotel stays, I've finally been hired for this job. It starts in five weeks. Due to prior commitments including two out-of-state weddings, my current job, and studying/sitting for my board exam, I really, really do not have the time to fly out there for a fifth time this calendar year to hit the pavement looking for an apartment. I'm seriously at a point where I basically need to just pick something based off photos, send over a wad of money and then haul myself and my stuff there at the end of the month. The whole prospect of apartment hunting in the NYC area is daunting enough as it is, but am I making it even worse by trying to do it remotely? Am I fooling myself by thinking I can trust a property management company or a broker to find something for me? I've heard enough Craigslist horror stories that I'm not really sure I should bother looking at it anymore. Am I wrong to dismiss it as a viable option at this point? I have a few phone numbers for property management companies and will start making calls tomorrow, but I'd love to hear from anyone who has been through this and can give me any tips, or tell me that there's no way in hell this is going to work, or anything.

Luxury apartments nyc?

tessalations999 — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:02:02 -0800

I have a specific question about apartments in NYC. I will be moving June 1, and am looking for an apartment building in the Upper West Side with similar cost/amenities/location as Sheffield 57 or Trump Tower. Does any one know of any similar rentals or apartment buildings in the same area? I have been searching around, but am finding it hard to locate places that arent for sale, or that have the same standards as these two wonderful places. Thank you so much i really appreciate any and all help!!!!!

How To Know If A Subletting Offer Is A Scam?

Anonymous — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 23:23:48 -0800

What's the best way to find out who owns an apartment in New York City? A relative of mine has been offered a sublet, but the circumstances seem very shady. I think my relative (who will be completely new to the "big city") is being scammed. I don't think the "owner" of the apartment is truly the owner. How does one go about finding out who owns property in NYC in regard to apartments? The apartment is in a well-known building in a high-end Manhattan neighborhood, which most likely has celebrity residents, so I don't know if that complicates things. Any help would be appreciated, as my relative is a complete novice at things like this, and I don't have any experience with it either, and I'd like to be able to give good advice.

Appropriate holiday tips for building staff.

Anonymous — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 07:33:04 -0800

New Yorkers, please advise me on appropriate holiday tip amounts for building staff. I am preparing to give out end-of-year tips for the people who work in my apartment building, and I would love to hear how others determine end-of-year cash amounts for their NYC building staff.

I own an apartment in a ~40-unit Manhattan building. There is always a doorman at the lobby desk, but otherwise the building is not at all what one would consider a luxury, full-service building. There is also a non-live-in super. I live alone and don't really require any personal extra effort from the building employees, although I feel sure that if I ever needed anything they would go out of their way to help me. Every member of the staff is friendly and first-rate, so I'd like to err on the generous side of the tip scale. I need to tip my super and each person on the roster of six doormen, who work anywhere from one to six shifts a week.

I've googled and found several articles about what to tip but they didn't seem to be particularly applicable, so I'd love to hear about your personal decision-making processes. How much do you tip your building employees? What is a good way to determine appropriate amounts?

What's the middle ground between "F.U!" and "Welcome!"?

jeffxl — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 13:38:19 -0800

One of my wife's distant friends has attempted to invite herself to stay with us, again. She did this last March, and we used the excuse of me starting a new job and needing to do x, y, and z as well as the "out of town" excuse for any remaining dates. This got us off scot-free, but we both knew the time would come again... and it's here. We need a final solution. We live in a small 2 bedroom apartment, in New York City. People like to visit here, and they don't generally want to pay for a hotel. We understand this. However, we also don't want people staying with us who we don't know or don't like.

My wife received the following email (summarized):

I'm going to be in NYC the night of the 5th to the morning of the 15th for [blah blah blah some work-related singing event thing]. Maria (my boss) said it is on the lower east side at Gramercy Park. I do have another friend who offered me her place to stay, but not for the whole time. Is there a chance that I could stay with you and Jeff for a portion of that time? I'd be using the subway the whole time and I'd be gone from 10-10 probably every day, so I'd be out of your way most of the time.

Let me know if this might be a possibility! Your choice on the dates, it's pretty flexible when I stay at her place.

Thanks for your help - I hope this works out so we can see each other!

Oh my god. First, I don't even know this woman. I've never even spoken with her. My wife doesn't really like her, but she's one of those people who just won't go away. To complicate things further, my wife is one of those people who doesn't really like to say no or to turn away people from her past, so I'm sure this woman will be following us wherever we go. Granted, they do have history in that they used to go to school together from ages 11-16. A decade ago. Then, they've seen each other sporadically when they've been home at the same time. This complicates the issue a little since it begs the question "does past history automatically equate to present friendship?" Even so, I'm reluctant to allow her stay because it'll set a precedent and possibly ruin the (slim) chances of her just fading into the past, and never hearing from her again.

Further, it really annoys me when people just invite themselves over, or present the possibility of you accommodating them. This is something I strive never to do. If anything, I might "test the waters" by mentioning I'll be in town, and see if an offer comes my way, but suggesting that you should allow me to stay in your apartment with you and your significant other whom I have not met seems borderline if not downright rude. Presumptuous, definitely.

I doubt this will be the last time this happens, so we need a final solution.

The only thing I've thought of so far are:

1. Our apartment has a weird key (true), and we haven't been able to get it duplicated (somewhat true). We need our keys (true). Sorry.

2. Keep it vague. "Sorry, that isn't going to work for us" seems like a pretty good solution, but a) it's still pretty awkward to say to someone, especially since I wouldn't put it beyond this woman to inquire further -- "Why, though? Why can't I stay?" -- and b) it'll be hard to get my wife to say this to her.

Have you had similar experiences? What would you do in this sort of situation? Is getting cornered into an unfortunate situation like this just a fact of life I'm refusing to accept?

Journal Square is the dumps!

cyrusdogstar — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 09:23:24 -0800

We're thinking of moving to Jersey City from points west, and have some questions about it which aren't answered in this previous JC AskMe. Sincere apologies for the length! (I've bookmarked related threads here. Also: Please do not suggest we move to a NYC borough, or Hoboken--I will ask for that sort of advice if/when I need it :))

My fiancee and I live in the Jersey 'burbs (on the Raritan Valley NJT line, which runs once an hour off-peak and requires a transfer in Newark). While it's nice and quiet, the commute is getting old, especially since we've made lifestyle changes recently.

We're interested in Jersey City because it's centrally located (thanks PATH!) and appears more affordable than NYC proper, especially compared to those areas with similar commute times. Our target is a 2-bedroom place for ~$1000-1400/mo; we currently have a "1 1/2" bedroom for ~$900/mo.

With that back-story out of the way, my questions:

1. Neighborhoods. I'm looking for any advice about the various areas that you can provide, and I'll spit out my own observations here:

Most of the apartments fitting our criteria on Craigslist are near Journal Square, or in neighborhoods south. We visited that area last weekend, and it's as run-down as I expected.

Others are in the Heights, which looked nicer, but seems like it's a hike from PATH, and the closest such stop being in JSQ, which I'm not even sure I want to walk through twice a day. My fiancee was troubled by the power-plant on the slope west of the Heights, too (we saw it walking up JFK).

Then there's downtown, near the Grove Street PATH, Hamilton Park, Paulus Hook (nice, but unfortunately too expensive), Van Vorst Park, and etc. The old thread said the only nice areas were Paulus Hook and Hamilton Park; does that include the areas in between, the ones near the Grove Street stop? We visited the area last year but I don't remember it well, nor did we cover all of it. As far as I can tell it's our best bet w/r/t getting a nice-ish area close to PATH.

2. Groceries. One odd thing we noticed during that downtown trip was the relative lack of delis/markets/grocers. Was that just bad luck/poor perception, or does everyone hoof it up to the supermarket near the mall?

3. Crime. Just how bad is it? From reading JCList.com, you'd think that there are break-ins every few days, with scattered muggings for flavor. I realize that the area has crime, but is it any better or worse than, say, the gentrified neighborhoods in Brooklyn, or Astoria? Pointers to sources at which I can research this myself would be welcome.

4. Locals. If anyone reading this is currently residing in Jersey City and would like to give us a more focused tour of the better areas, or to just gab about the place in general, I'd greatly appreciate it. Email is in the profile.

Roomies!

fingers_of_fire — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 21:01:09 -0800

Roommate-filter: I've been in the same apartment (without a lease) in NYC for 9 years. It's time for a new roommate. What can I do to protect myself from psychos and other difficult roommate situations? For the most part, my landlord and I get along fine - I'm a low-maintenance tenant, he keeps the rent relatively low. Since I've been in my apartment for so long, I feel like it's my place, and I think my landlord would agree. However, without a lease, my understanding is that, from a legal perspective, my roommate and I would be on equal footing. I'll of course vet candidates and try to weed out any potential problems, but can anyone recommend any other precautions I should take to protect myself from worst case scenarios? Also, what questions should I ask? What behaviors should I be on the lookout for?

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?

How do I find an apartment in NYC without going thru a real estate agency?

huskerdont — Fri, 05 May 2006 08:25:54 -0800

Non-realtor sources for an apartment in NYC/Bklyn? Currently looking for an apartment in Brooklyn but would prefer to avoid dealing with a real estate agency due to the hefty, hefty fees involved. Ideally, I would prefer somewhere with a commute within a half hour of my job and coffeeshops/bookstores/bars in walking distance - I'm finding myself searching mainly in the areas of "Brownstone" Brooklyn and Williamsburg/Greenpoint as a result. Unfortunately, I have had no luck finding for-rent by owner apartments in those areas via Craigslist or word of mouth. What are other sources for finding NYC apartments for rent without parting with $1000+ dollars?

Landlord selling my building: Am I screwed?

logovisual — Mon, 20 Mar 2006 17:26:53 -0800

NYC: Our landlord is selling our building. We have a lease. What's going to happen to us? I just learned on Saturday that our landlord is selling the brownstone we rent the top floor of in Brooklyn. Somebody is already coming by to see the place tomorrow. We have a standard, legal lease; what are a new owner's responsibilities re: this lease, our rent, etc.? Does he/she have to honor them, or are we up shit creek? This is a surprisingly difficult topic to Google... My understanding was that they do have to honor the lease, but informally speaking, if that displeases them, they can make my life very difficult. Am I wrong in this, and they don't have to honor it at all?

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?

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?

What's the best way to find an apartment in NYC?

CunningLinguist — Fri, 10 Dec 2004 13:34:27 -0800

NYCaptFilter: I'm moving to NYC (yay!) and sorry, but I'm going to drive you all nuts with questions for the next few weeks. #1: Best way to find an apartment? I know the city, but would like tips on finding a good place. Broker? Classified listings? Pitfalls to avoid? How do I find something rent stabilized? Any opinion about rentdirect.com? I promise to host a meetup when I get settled.

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?