Short term (less than 30 days) rentals are illegal in NY. If you do a search on here you'll find more info about this, as there was a similar question just a couple of days ago.

"as there was a similar question just a couple of days ago." . . . and the week before that, and the week before that, etc etc etc

Always the same info- the VAST majority (like almost all) NYC vacation rentals are illegal.

Here's the thread:

http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/apartment-rental-in-ny-via-vrbo.cfm

We stayed at The Beacon Hotel in May 2011. We had a one bedroom apartment that was perfect. They did also have 2 bedrooms available - I am not sure of costs. It is located in the Upper West Side, very close to Central Park and only 1 block from the closest Subway station. I would think it would be a great choice for a girls weekend.

Have a look at all suite hotels like Radio City Apartments (actually a hotel) or those in the Affinia group. Agree that finding a legal apartment rental in Manhattan is almost impossible (You find to find a an owner of a private house - very rare in Manhattan - interested in renting out a floor or rooms.)

Whatever you do , do not look at Craig;s list - many of the listings are scams.

If you want such a cheap apartment-like suite, you need to book immediately. It may already be too late since these kinds of lodgings at that price are few and far between in Manhattan.

2 bedroom suites are not plentiful so quite pricey. Best Western Hospitality has some with 1bathroom as does the budget Radiocityapartments.com. The Beacon and the Salisbury also have a few 2bedroom2bathroom suites, but you generally have to email or phone for those. Eastgate Towers also has some huge 2/2 suites. The Marmara is an apt building with some hotel suites too. But you should be able to find a 1bedroom suite with 2 beds in the bedroom and a sofabed in the livingroom so each has her own bed. That will likely be closer to your budget at that time of year. (May is pricey). In addition to the places already mentioned which should all have that setup, the Kimberly, the San Carlos, the Blakely, Doubletree Guest Suites Times Square and most of the Affinia.com hotels will also have 1bedroom suites with 2 beds plus sofabed. Pricing on these can vary by website so check hotels' own vs kayak.com, quikbook.com, hotels.com to compare.

Last June, my girlfriends and I spent three nights in the 2 bdrm/2 bath suite at The Beacon, and were very pleased with it. We had two double beds in one room, one king bed in the other, and a queen pullout sofa. Two baths, a small kitchen, an eating area for four, and a little living room.

It was $575/night, which is a great price, but not your budget.

You have to call the hotel for info on the two bedroom.

They have one-bedroom suites on-line.

It is a GREAT location: wonderful full market across the street, Starbucks on the corner, subway station a block away, John Lennon memorial in Central Park a block or two away.

I was curious, so checked the Beacon's prices for May 11- May 13, for three adults:

http://beaconhotel.com/
WEB SPECIAL
A One-Bedroom Suite Two Double beds features two double beds in the bedroom, a separate living room with a pull-out sofa bed, a luxurious marble bathroom, and fully-equipped kitchenette. Maximum occupancy is 4 people.
USD 395.00


Not all their one-bdrm suites have double beds, so you'd want to get one now, if you are interested. They have a 24-hour cancellation policy, unless the Web Special price means otherwise.

Thank you very much everyone....Had no idea rental apartments were illegal! Will look into the hotels. Regards Jean

Not all short-term rentals are illegal. There are legal rentals in apartments that are not multi-family residences. These would be single family townhouses that are allowed to rent legally, as far as I know.




http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/downloads/pdf/NYS_chapter_225.pdf

Lawyers and other real estate experts are still explaining the new housing laws in NYC; it is too much to expect the casual visitor to slog through the same.

Easy to understand: Short term apartment rentals are largely illegal to rent for under 30 days and the possibility of inadvertently renting an illegal apartment is likely. If a tourist were prevented access to an illegal rental they had paid for it would be unfortunate, costly, inconvenient, and completely unnecessary.

Doug is right: better get going on this soon! PeaceOut's Beacon rate for the one bedroom suite is really great. Call the Beacon directly to be sure you get what you want if you decide you're interested. I am guessing that rate doesn't include taxes and fees but I could be wrong.

Enjoy your trip!

Jean: Can you tell us your dates?

Agree for May you need to book now to have the chance at best rates. As you get closer hotels will book up (Radio City Apt and Beacon are often full) and prices will only go up. Be aware that on top of the price quote there is tax of about 18 %.

I know of a legal 3 bedroom 3 bathroom for rent in central Harlem. It is under your price range and one block from the subway. About 15 minutes to Times Square.


If that area is of interest, I will post details.

I'm interested, ekscrunchy!

OK!

These are friends of mine who own a brownstone in Harlem and rent out 2 renovated apartments--a 1 bedroom and a 3-bedroom-- with a minimum of 4 nights. They live in the building.

Most of their guests are European but I thought I'd mention it here:



http://www.flipkey.com/manhattan-vacation-rentals/p216183/

http://www.flipkey.com/new-york-city-condo-rentals/p333843/

Ek, I'm just curious why that's legal?

It's legal because it is zoned as a single family residence - and the sublet laws apply only to multi-family residences (which is about 95% of residences in Manhattan). (It's not many people that own multi-million dollar houses that want to sublet part of them to vacationers.)

I wasn't able to determine that it's a single family residence. How did you determine that, nytraveler?

If it is, it's a beautiful choice.

This gorgeous is expensive.

Why is the nightly rate budget priced?

"I wasn't able to determine that it's a single family residence. How did you determine that, nytraveler?"

"These are friends of mine who own a brownstone"

True, but the website says it's a "triplex", so still not "single family".

janis, owning a brownstone does not insure it's a single family residence!

Per ekscrunchy -- they own the Brownstone (which sounds pretty much like they own the building), live in it and rent the two flats.

To clarify, this is a couple who own the brownstone. They have lived there for quite a few years. The rentals are legal.

Eks, sorry, but that doesn't clarify WHY it's legal, when others are not. Is there an exception for an owner-occupied building even if it isn't "single-family"?

I know you're representing what you know, ekscrunchy. I'm trying to figure out how the average visitor can learn what you know.

The answer is that the average visitor can't know this. that's why the average visitor should stick to suites in the hotels recommended.

There are a ton of scams out there and a very limited number of privately owned houses (as opposed to those zoned as multi-family buildings) and finding one is extremely difficult,

As I understand it, the law applies to multi-family residences in ClassA. This is a single family home. I am not a lawyer and I am not an expert, since I live here.


From the NYTimes:


<Q. I live in a Park Slope brownstone on a street zoned for residential use. My neighbor advertises his apartment on a vacation rental Web site, and as a result we find ourselves living next to a de facto short-stay hotel. I know of the new law prohibiting rentals of less than 30 days that will apply to large buildings, but what is the legality of these rentals in smaller structures, and what protections are available to us, as neighbors?

A. “We do take this issue seriously,” said Ryan Meredith FitzGibbon, a spokeswoman for the city’s Buildings Department.

The state law, passed last summer, that the reader refers to didn’t change the rental rules, but it gave the city more power to enforce them, she said.

The minimum allowable rental period for an apartment, Ms. FitzGibbon explained, depends not on the building’s height or size, but on a set of rules based on the type of unit — Class A or Class B — that was originally listed in the building plan. Most regular apartments are Class A; Class B includes single-room occupancy buildings and some other types. In rare cases, a building might have both Class A and Class B apartments.

Class B apartments may be rented for less than 30 days; rentals on Class A apartments must be 30 days or more. Renting a Class A apartment for less than 30 days is the most common type of rental violation, Ms. FitzGibbon said.

So, how to tell which is which? On the Buildings Department’s Web site (nyc.gov/buildings), people can use the computerized Buildings Information System to view a particular building’s certificate of occupancy, which will reveal its classification. Or they can visit the department’s borough office. If you believe a violation is occurring, call 311 and the Buildings Department will send an inspector, Ms. FitzGibbon said.>


http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/downloads/pdf/NYS_chapter_225.pdf

Can you please check to confirm that your friend's rentals are in fact not Class A (because I think they are) buildings.

I am not going to get into any more details; I've already shared what I know. You could write to the owner and pursue if you are interested in the rental.

Here is some further information that may be of interest:



http://www.frommers.com/articles/6918.html

meh. I don't promote the rental of illegal apartments so I'll leave it to others.

No good deed goes unpunished, huh ekscrunchy?

My client's daughter owns a brownstone and rents out the old nanny apt by the week. They have verified that it is legal with the powers that be. Unfortunately, they only rent to friends of friends.

From the frommers article, it appears that the key is if the owners live in the building.

lcuy: You're right. eks: Thanks again for sharing that information. It looks like a beautiful apartment.

FYI http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/heres-the-actual-nyc-law-about-short-term-apartment-rentals.cfm

From what I understand, the owners living in the same apartment and just renting out a room (not another apt in the same building) may make it legal. Owning the whole building doesn't by itself make it legal.

"The minimum allowable rental period for an apartment, Ms. FitzGibbon explained, depends not on the building’s height or size, but on a set of rules based on the type of unit — Class A or Class B — that was originally listed in the building plan. Most regular apartments are Class A; Class B includes single-room occupancy buildings and some other types. In rare cases, a building might have both Class A and Class B apartments. "

However since enforcement of the law is based on complaints generated, this type of situation makes it less problematic. No neighbors in the building to complain. That does not necessarily make it legal so of course if there are problems with insurance or payment or fire laws etc, there is little recourse.

Owning the building is meaningless. Landlords own huge buildings and can not do short term rentals. If a building has less than either 3 or 4 apartments ( sorry, forgetting which) it is legal. If the APARTMENT is occupied by the owner WHILE YOUR ARE THERE, that is legal too.

Be aware that NYC police are cracking down on these and you could find it doesn't exist by the time you get to NYC. (or was a scam from the getgo)

Ekscrunchy, it looks lovely. We are looking for a place for 5 nights in May and will be traveling with our two adult daughters. Renting two even budget-priced hotel rooms is too costly. We have rented apartments in Europe on many occasions and enjoyed it very much. I am satisfied with the legality of the arrangement and having exchanged posts with you in the past, am satisfied that it is not a scam. I have sent off an email to the owners and hope to hear back soon.
PS Where have you traveled recently?

FWIW, noone was suggesting that what ekscrunchy posted about was a scam!

Hello, Marta: I hope it works out. They are lovely, interesting people. My last trip was last September, again to southern Italy; we drove from Amantea in Calabria to the Amalfl Coast area, making quite a few stops along the way.

Please keep us up to date on the rental and let me know your plans in NYC. Good to "hear" from you!