NYcity apartment Christmas vacation?
 

Does anyone know of a one bedroom apartment for rent from around Dec. 21 to around December 30 in Manhattan? Three responsible adults. Hotel suites are too expensive!

There are several reputable agencies that do this. (Seach below for details.)

What is your budget?

The only safe way to rent an apt. in NYC without risk of being scammed is to use an agency. nyhabitat.com is reputable. While you'll find lots of ads on websites like vrbo.com many are not legitimate. Don't wire money to anyone's bank account.

PS, in a private 1 bedroom apt., you're likely to find a queen or king bed and a sofabed in the living room. Sofabeds are typically not comfortable for adults. In a hotel room or suite, you can find proper beds for all 3 of you.

The Comfort Inn Chelsea is one of the few hotels I know of in NYC with rooms with 3 single beds. Such a room is available for your dates for $234/night plus tax, an amazing bargain imo. While it's not an apt., it includes free cont. breakfast, free in room wifi and a refrigerator and coffee pot in the room.

PPS, if you prefer a 1 bedroom suite, the Wellington Hotel (very basic budget hotel but fabulous central location) has one for
~$300/night.

Btw, since you don't plan to stay for New Year's Eve anyway, I think you'll find prices much less if you leave a day earlier on the 29th.

I have just rented an apartment off CPW and feel very confident that it is on the level, nice and you too can check it out at vrob.com Listing#: 129246

We haven't stayed there yet, but I have been in touch with the owner a number of times. I was referred to this site by my cousin who has used it successfully before as have a number of her friends. Pay through Pay Pal.

When I saw the prices of hotel rooms in New York I nearly cancelled the trip there. We are now going for 10 days.

tinydancer -

Just so you're aware - the info on that apartment is about the general area. It says; it's "next to" things that are 5 or 6 blocks from each other.

Did they give you the exact address?

Also - it look like a brownstone building - most of which don;t have elevators. Have you check on that - or on how many flights of stairs you would have to climb?

Also have you checked out security arrangements?

On the websites they make all the apartments look nice - it what;s they don't say that you have to ask about.

I certainly hope this works out for you - and that you have done all the up front checking.

Hi nytraveler! Yes, I've had extensive communication with the owner and have all the details, plus I'm very familiar with this neighborhood. I have asked every question possible and have been given detailed answers, plus exact address and direct phone #'s. This owner is very open to discuss anyting. It's a walk up (training for the NYC Subways). I even know about the beds and the heating. So what I recommend to all those wanting to use this site is to ask any and all sorts of questions and even phone them for direct contact. It takes a lot of time and effort to sort through all the minor details.

Anyone an apartment rental in New York City should consult this thread on Tripadvisor first: http://tinyurl.com/54pmqu.

That last post should read "Anyone considering..."

McLaurie- it is disturbing to hear that many of the ny listings in vrbo are not legit; especially since I advertise on vrbo and thought they were very reputable and dependable. Do you know of listings that are not legit that remain on vrbo? What I've read from them is that if there are complaints, they remove those listings so one can feel fairly safe with a listing that has been there for several years.

I'm curious too, as I've not heard any specific scams involving fake NYC apartments on VRBO, but I've seen numerous reports of successful ones there. By the way, you can register on their site if you do book and you are fully protected financially should the apartment prove to be a scam. Of course, that doesn't help a lot if you arrive at a fake one without an alternative place to stay, but it also shows that VRBO will not allow a place to stay on their site if it's shown to be illegitimate.

Harlot's Ghost's link is worth a read. It points out a number of scams and things to look for -- specifically stating that "your stay" and "Woogo" are scams, which many of us know. I don't think there is a single scam report from VRBO there -- I didn't read them all, though.

ncounty, you have twisted what I said. I did not say "many of the listings on vrbo are not legit". Go back and read my post.

Anyone who pays a posting fee can advertise on vrbo. Vrbo does not "vet" listings. If they get complaints, they will remove a listing. What no one is addressing is that even if an apt. exists, most ALL short term rentals in NYC are illegal. Apartment buildings are not zoned for short term rentals and should neighbors or landlords decide to cause a fuss, you could be asked to leave.

http://www.nysun.com/real-estate/to-...-hotels/85183/

Sorry if I misconstrued what you said, mclaurie. I did reread your post "While you'll find lots of ads on websites like vrbo.com many are not legitimate." I took the word many to reflect on ads on websites like vrbo. I now understand that is not what you meant.

The most important part of my post was <i><b>the only way to rent an apt. without risk of being scammed is to use an agency</b></i>. Obviously, I mean a reputable one of which there are very few. Unless you are well versed in lingo, neighborhoods, what questions to ask etc., there's no way to be sure. The other option is to have a friend who's local go and have a look for you.

The other point is, vacation rentals in regular apartment buildings are <b>illegal</b> and becoming a REAL nuisance for people who live here. Greedy landlords who've discovered they can make a lot more money renting out nightly to tourists (@$250+/night) vs. renting to residents on a monthly basis are reducing the number of affordable apts. Tourists who insist on renting these places are feeding their habit.

mclaurie is correct. Almost all these rentals are illegl. And the city has started to crack down on the landlords that are the worst offenders.

Separately- if it is a private rental - and the landlord dosn't know about it - the occupatin is illegal - and you could be removed (unlikely - but unpleasant).

A friend of mine had this happen in her co-op. The owner was away for a lenghty stay and &quot;rented&quot; the apartment to a series of &quot;relatives&quot;. After the second set of &quot;relatives&quot; - who seemed to know nothing about the apartment's owner - departed the co-op figured out waht was going on. And they

1)notified the owner he was in default of his lease and had to cease and desist

2)changed the locks on the front door - so the next set of &quot;relatives&quot; couldn;t get into the buidling.

I don;t know know where they went - perhaps searched the streets for a hotel?

And the building charged the at fault owner for changing the lock and all the keys.

There is another hotel in NYC with 3 single beds, it's the Wolcott on West 31st St. For your dates they don't seem to have the single beds available, but can accommodate all of you in a Junior Suite for $234.44 per night, which would be around $270 per night including taxes for 9 nights. I have not stayed there so I can not give a personal recommendation but it is NOT a fancy hotel. Be sure to read the reviews on Trip Advisor. It also might be worth it to call them directly and see if a room with 3 separate beds maybe available but are showing on the site. http://www.wolcott.com

I want to post that I am have been cheated by someone renting an apartment through vrbo.

I rented and paid a deposit on an apartment in nyc several months ago.

Long story short, this woman has recently doubled her rent, lied to me, and then cancelled our booking one week before we were to depart home on our trip.

Although she did return our deposit, we are still out $100 in paypal fees, all the time spent, plus the aggravation.

You should file a complaint with vrbo. Please let us know what happens. You could also let us know which unit it is so we can be forewarned.

I completely agree with ncounty, but why did you have PayPal fees - I was under the impression all paypal fees were billed to the &quot;seller&quot; (in this case the owner), not to the buyer?