Renting an apartment or room in New York City is not an easy game – let’s be real here and considering that your budget is not off limits, lol, otherwise, you wouldn’t be googling this, right? The demand far outstrips supply, making available units disappear in the blink of an eye. The rental costs are huge – New York City is among the most expensive cities in the world – and the list of prerequisites—credit checks, proof of income, references—often resembles a top-secret security clearance process.
Wether you are an student coming to the city for a short period of time, or a tourist spending some days or weeks or someone that is moving for good to the city because of a job or to chase a dream, you need to know how to navigate this system – and that starts with a good research. But where to find apartments and rooms to rent in New York City? On this post, I will share some options!
- You should also read: Everything you need to know about renting an apartment and moving in New York City
- How to clean & organize your NYC apartment: our tips and tricks
If you are going to live in the city for at least 1 year
StreetEasy
StreetEasy is probably the website I used the most every time we moved. It’s the most famous in the city – it’s good for everyone that is looking to move to the city for good, meaning for at least 1 year. You can filter by the number of rooms, no-fee unites, budget, if pets are allowed, and other details like laundry, elevator, dishwasher, outdoors space etc. You can create an account and set notifications for new listings within your preferences.
If you are going to live in the city for at least 3 months
Common Living
Common can be an excellent choice for someone coming to the city and looking for a long-term rental – without the hassle of officially renting and furnishing an apartment. They rent places based on the coliving concept. It is a modern form of communal living in which residents get a private bedroom in a furnished home with shared common areas. Coliving is popular in major cities as a means of affordable living for students, workers, digital nomads, or individuals relocating. Unlike the traditional apartment lifestyle, coliving is attractive to tenants due to affordability, flexibility, included amenities, and a sense of community. The apartments and rooms have everything: furniture, wi-fi and even cleaning services! Common has more than 15 apartments in New York City!
If you are going to live in the city for at least a month
Airbnb Apartments
But let’s pretend you are staying for 30 days or longer and you don’t love the co-living concept, an Airbnb apartment or house can be an excellent choice, cause it’s super convenient. If you are unfamiliar with Airbnb or haven’t used it, make sure to read the reviews, paying attention to the listing’s details and the house rules and communicate with the host to ask questions and be confident before booking it. And besides all the changes involving Airbnb and NYC, renting an entire space for over 30 days is allowed. I have a full blog post about Airbnb in NYC. Make sure to check it out!
If you are going to live in the city for less than a month
Sonder Apartments
If you are looking for an apartment for a short stay in New York City, Sonder can be a great option! Sonder is an apartment rental company that aims to provide a unique experience that combines the comforts of a home with the amenities and services typically associated with a hotel – and their units are hotel-licensed, which means they must comply with hotel safety codes and pay hotel taxes, and the short-term rental law doesn’t cover these units (hence why the Airbnb law doesn’t apply to them). Sonder has apartments in 40+ cities in 10 countries – approximately 9,000 units live worldwide – including New York City, with units in Manhattan, Queen and Brooklyn. They have studios and apartments with up to 3 rooms, and you get better prices when booking for more than 7 days.
Testimonial from someone who has stayed at a Sonder apartment – from a blog reader:
“My wife and I stayed at one of the Sonder units in the Financial District (1 Platt St.) for 5 days. The apartment had one bedroom (I know they have larger apartments). After making the reservation, they contacted us to download their app to manage the booking. Initially, I was a bit concerned about the bureaucracy, but, in reality, the app worked very well, and the information was quite clear. We could also use the app to communicate with the staff, who always responded quickly.
The apartment was spotless; the sheets were also clean and comfortable. The kitchen was well-equipped, and we had everything we needed. Regarding the TV, it didn’t have access to traditional channels; instead, we had to use Chromecast with our mobile phones. Some people might find that inconvenient, but it wasn’t a problem for me.
The check-in process was streamlined through the app I mentioned. There was no need to wait in line at the reception. On the check-in day, we received an access code for the main entrance via the app (in case it was closed), and getting into the apartment was quick and easy. Check-out was also done through the app, without any major difficulties.
In terms of value for money, when I started looking for accommodation in New York City, I was surprised by the hotel prices. Finding a well-located hotel with good reviews at a reasonable price was challenging. Moreover, when I did find something interesting, the rooms were often tiny and lacked amenities like a kitchen. Therefore, I considered Sonder to offer good value for money because we had a decent apartment and a lot of comfort.
After this experience, I see the advantages of Sonder: good value for money; apartments larger than most hotel rooms at a similar price point; the convenience of a well-equipped kitchen; quick check-in; the building has some interesting areas, such as a gym, a rooftop space, and a lounge with internet access; in addition to that, we really liked the location, close to famous tourist attractions and subway stations.” Denner Diniz
Other different ways to find an apartment in New York City
Listings Project
Listings Project is a community where they offer free, carefully vetted real estate – including apartments for rent, lease take over, sublets and rooms. All you have to do is subscribe to their newsletter. You’ll get new listings delivered to your inbox every Wednesday. They also feature job positions and services.
Lease Break
A Marketplace to find and list: short-term rentals, sublets, monthly rentals, rooms for rent, and of course, leasebreaks (when you take over someone’s lease).
Kindred
Have you ever thought about exchanging your place with someone else in another city or country? Well, thanks to some Kindred, that’s possible! Kindred is a closed network for home exchange – it’s not a vacation rental platform. That means there is no financial exchange between guest and host. By offering available weeks in your home, in return, you receive travel credits to stay in other members’ homes rent-free. There are no nightly rental fees when you book a trip – you’ll only cover the cost of cleaning + a service fee per stay. Kindred looks to connect members who have something in common (like a mutual friend or a shared network) to stay in one another’s homes.
- You need to apply to be part of it – it’s free! And this link allows you to jump their 28,000-person waitlist
TrustedHousesitters
Do you love pets? Would you be willing to split your vacation time between enjoying the destination and taking care of a pet? Then you need to know TrustedHousesitters. It is a platform that connects homeowners needing pet care with trustworthy individuals willing to house-sit and take care of pets in exchange for accommodation. It’s a smart solution for pet owners who may need to travel or be away from home but want their pets to be well-cared for in their absence – and also for those who love animals and are ok with taking care of them in exchange for a free stay. To be part of it, you need to have a membership starting at $129 per year. You can also create a free account – it would be just a browsing account so that potential members can get an idea of what’s available in terms of house sit options. You just have to supply an email address, and no payment details; however, if you want to apply for a house sit, you need to select one of the membership tiers then.
Remember that TrustedHousesitters doesn’t provide “free travel” – the accommodation is part of a value exchange where no money passes hands, but there are associated costs, expenses, and pet care duties. The platform facilitates the opportunity for both local and global travel as either a vacation or a lifestyle choice.
How to rent a room in New York City
We all know that New York City is expensive and, for a lot of people, renting an entire space is not something possible. So, the solution is to share a space with another person. Here some resources to find rooms and/or roommates:
- Roomi – it’s a platform designed to simplify the room and roommate search process – think of it as a matchmaking service for renters and rooms, but with a layer of security features that other websites like Craigslist lack. Users can list or search for rooms, connect with potential roommates, and even conduct background checks right through the app or website.
- The Original Gypsy Housing – it’s a Facebook community with over 150k members where people post or look for apartments to sublet or a room/share available in the NYC area.
- Lease Break – besides short-term rentals, sublets and monthly rentals, you can also find rooms for rent on Lease Break.
- You should also read: Everything you need to know about renting an apartment and moving in New York City
- How to clean & organize your NYC apartment: our tips and tricks
Content creator and journalist in New York City. Here, I share lifestyle, beauty, NYC tips, thoughts, and the struggles about living in the most amazing city in the world! I’m not gonna pretend to be another person: I’m a Brazilian immigrant and I think this is my soul, it is part of who I am. I hope you enjoy my content! Follow me on Instagram!
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