Ljyoung

Hello. My daughter and her friend are hoping to find an apartment with two rooms for rent. It may have to even be a shared apartment set up, where they each have their own room or share a room in an apartment with others. We need to find something by 3rd week in June. We have been checking Craig's List and may have to rely on this as our source but I have also come across a web site that claims to be able to get you in an apartment the day you meet with them. The web site is www.iipenn.com. Big Apple Rooms, Inc. They charge a one time fee of $80.00 to assist in finding you a room/apartment. I read in an older post to be wary of some outfits like this but no names were given. I'm curious if anyone out there has heard of them/had any experience. REALLY appreciate any feedback.

nytraveler

If you can provide a little m ore info people will be able to give more useful advice.

How old are your daughter and her friend? Are they students or do they/will they be working? What is their monthly budget - in total. And where will they be going to school or working. (The city is huge and depending on where they need to get to, the commute can be more than an hour from some residential areas of the city.

Also, they should be prepared to put down a month's security and first and last month;s rent - even if they go into a sublet - so if they want to spend $1500 per month total they need $4500 to put down.

nytraveler

Sorry - a number of listings on Craig's lists are deceitful and some are outright scams. Before you do anything get a specific street address and 1) check it out on google maps and 2) list it here and people can tell you about the neighborhood and possibly the building. (Lower cost areas they may want to consider are Astoria, Sunnyside, Inwood and Washington Heights.)

mclaurie

You are so ripe to be scammed!!! Craigslist is a very unreliable and dangerous way to find an apartment especially for people who don't live here and don't know their way around the city. Do NOT pay ANYONE ANYTHING in advance. No one can POSSIBLY guarantee they'll find you an apt. the day you meet them. They can show you a rat hole and if you say no, they'll say, "well, we did show you a place that was available. It's not our fault YOU didn't like it."

This is really a travel site not a relocation site but if you provide some more information (how long they're here, their budget and their situation) we can try to send you in the right direction. Many short term apt. rentals in NYC listed on the internet are scams or illegal sublets. Don't lose money unnecessarily. Don't send anyone ANY money especially by wire into a bank account. Paypal is also not a solution. The best idea is for your daughter and her friend to rent beds in a dormitory hostel or a private room in a hostel or one of the women's residences-- for a week or more and have time to search when they arrive.

http://www.thebrandon.org/ is a decent women's residence. ymca Vanderbilt is a centrally located hostel with private rooms. Hostelling International is a popular hostel for dorm rooms.

Ljyoung

Thanks everyone so much for your prompt responses. I realize that Criag's list, and likely other sites, and their postings can be sketchy. Ugh!!!! That's why I was wondering if anyone had used the Big Apple Rooms group. It's a scary deal altogther. My daughter (20) and her friend are both modeling in New York for at least the summer. They have been staying in a model apartment but that is such a cramped/depressing set-up. I am coming to the city 19 June - 24th to see if we can't locate a better set-up for the (2) of them. We're looking to spend about $800.- $1,000./mo. each and tho Manhattan would be preferrable, could consider other locations. Don't know if this input garners any additional feedback but ALL is welcome. Thanks so much!!!

travelbuff

I can help. First how long will they be here? And are they over 21? Do they already have jobs or will they be looking for work? All that will help us give you some ideas.

If they are looking for an apartment and have 1200 to 1500 a month to spend they can get a 1 to 2 bedroom apartment in my area, which is close to City College, and is a pretty safe area of the city now. I'm also close to 2 major subway lines on the upper west side and can be midtown in 15 minutes so computing from here is great.

My area is called Hamilton Heights and it's the fastest growing area in the city, so lots of brownstones here with apartments for rent.

I can give you a local realtor who can also help and figure you will have to pay a fee of 1 month rent, and alot of apartments now the landlord works with rental agencies.

Are you willing to be a guarantour on the lease that will also help if the girls are just starting out.

Yes there are companies that rent rooms, and they are rooms to rent in someone's apartment, and quite honestly I would not recommend that. They would be better off finding their own apartment.

Craig's list is also probably not a great idea, as there are lots of scams there and you are requested to wire money....
and don't do that.

So let me know if you need help, and I can even make some calls.

nytraveler

For $2000 they should be able to get a decent studio in Manhattan - as long as you're willing to act as guarantor (I'm assuming they don;t have steady incomes yet). And you will probably need a total of $6000 when they sign the lease.

Ljyoung

Travelbuff. Thanks so much for your offer of help. My daughter's friend is 24. She will be leaving the city July 1 for 2 weeks then back for the long haul. I would like to see if you have a direction we should pursue. You can email me @ [email protected]. Again, thanks everyone for any advice. I have relied on this site for years for help and it has never let me down.

Ljyoung

NYTraveler. You're right. They have yet to get the steady income up and going. My daughter will officially begin working around the 21st and her friend began the "casting game" a few weeks ago. I want them to be safe and have some degree of privacy. Of course $$ is also a concern. Wow - takes some to get into a place!! Keep the info. coming. Many thanks!!!

travelbuff

just sent you an email.

mclaurie

There's an article in the real estate section of today's NY Times about how difficult it was for someone with guaranteed housing money of over $2,000/mo. couldn't get accepted at a building because he wasn't earning 40x the rent. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/30/re...te/30hunt.html

Like the fellow in the article, your daughter needs a real estate broker and for just a summer rental, it may be hard to find someone HONEST willing to invest the time since their commission will be small(ish) for a short term rental. They should check the bulletin board at NYU and Columbia and perhaps run their OWN ad in Craigslist. If they like animals and are trustworthy, looking for a gig as a petsitter is another idea.

K_brklyn

Craigslist is one of the most reliable sites to find short-term sublets in the City.

Here's what I tell ppl about Craigslist:
1. Do not agree to rent anything without physically visiting the place first, do not rely on pictures posted

2. Do not send any money to "hold" a place or wire any money to someone

3. Make sure you get things in writing

4. Do not agree to rent apartments that charge by the night like a hotel-you will have no recourse if you are thrown out

5. You should not have to pay a fee to sublet an apartment, but some people will want a deposit-do not give cash, get a signed receipt and an agreement in writing that it will be returned to you at the end of your sublet

6.If an apartment or a price is too good to be true-it usually is.


Brokers will not be bothered with short-term rentals especially at that price range. You may find some luck with the new construction bldgs looking to fill vacancies until the August/September rush.

Other options for housing like NYU and Columbia are likely already filled but worth checking:
NYU Housing: http://internships.about.com/gi/dyna...r%2Fhousing%2F

New School Housing: http://internships.about.com/gi/dyna...ng%2Fsummer%2F

nytraveler

For a sublet you need to be sure the landlord knows that your daughter is subletting (most landlords won;t allow this) - or they could be summarily removed if found. You might want to approach new buildings that are having trouble renting to see if they will give a shorter lease - but most want 1 year - and the guarantor will have to have income 40X the rent.

For subletting, get EVERYTHING in writing and make sure you have spoken to the super or the doorman of the building. (A young woman in my office was about to turn over the money for a furnished sublet she found on Craig's list when the super met her and the apartment "tenant" in the hallway. It turned out he was the former boyfriend of the tenant and knew she would be away that week - and in retaliation for the break up was going to let her return to her apartment with a stranger living in it.)

housingsearch11

I would suggest you check out www.apartacus.com

mclaurie

And I would suggest you realize housingsearch11 is advertising.

Aduchamp1

I have not looked for an apartment in more than 10 years but then it was a skill unto itself.

Here is one more thing to consider and it is a precinct map of NYC.

http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/pr...t_finder.shtml

Once you find the precinct number, you click on the left for crime statistics.

New York is the safest large city in the country but there are still some neighborhoods which are rough.

mztery

One factor no one has mentioned. If they get an apt together what if one of them decides to give up before the other ? Someone will be on the hook fir the whole rent or lease or sublease .

nytraveler

Probably they will need 2 sets of parents to sign a lease for them - unless they just get an illegal sublet and hope for the best. No landlord is going to rent to 2 young women that are as yet unemployed - and don;t have any guarantee of a steady income (salary) in the near future.

nytraveler

That said, about 7 years ago 2 young relatives of mine rented a room in a 3 bedroom apartment with a constantly changing set of young women in it. As they became engaged, moved in with boyfriends or got new jobs some girls would move out and new ones move in.

The original renters (6 for the 3 bedrooms) had sufficient income to qualify and the building was so large and the changes so constant in many apartments that the landlord didn;t pay much attention as long as he got his rent. But they did have a problem for a while when one tenant refused to pay her share - and they had to cover it between the other 5 for several months until they replaced her.

Austin

My daughter and her friend had to find an apartment in NYC last dec. I and the other mom had to guarantee the apartment rent since they are both students. We are from out of state and had to guarantee I think 8 times the monthly rent - meaning we had to guarantee that we made 8 times their rent, X12, (Ex: $2000 rent x 12 months ==$24,000 X 8 + $200,000). Yes, you read that right. Some places are a little flexible on that.

We had to put down a HUGE deposit and we got them to agree to use it as the last 2 months rent. They used a broker but one that did not charge us a fee. The broker we used was an idiot, otherwise I'd give you the name!