Finding an apartment in Manhattan as a Student

I often get questions about finding an apartment in Manhattan as a student.  There are many schools in Manhattan, such as CUNY, Columbia, NYU, Cardozo, Fordham, Yeshiva, and others.  However, finding an apartment in Manhattan can be challenging for a student (especially an international student) because many apartment managers want proof of income and income statements.  So, how does one go about getting an apartment in Manhattan?

First, if you are looking for an apartment in Manhattan, you must be willing to spend a lot of time searching for the right place.  Chances are you are not going to find the kind of place you are expecting to find quickly.  For example, you may have to realize that you probably are going to have to live in a small apartment instead of something big that you may have been used to back in Kansas.  I don't say that to be mean or sly, but to be 100% honest with you.  The reality is that Manhattan is 1. expensive, and 2. filled to the brim with people.  If you honestly think you are going to waltz into the city and land the perfect apartment, well, you have another thing coming.

Second, finding an apartment in Manhattan takes a lot more work than finding an apartment in Spokane.  Why do I say that?  Well, you may think that it's because I'm a jerk, but that's not why I say that.  It's because it's honest-to-goodness true.  You are going to probably have to start looking at least a month before you expect to move in, and that's being generous.  Some people will need to look longer. That is especially going to be the case if you have bad credit or no credit.  And if you have no job and bad credit, well, you can find something, but you're not going to be living in a 2 bedroom in the West Village (at least not with some S E R I O U S effort).

I have bad credit and need an apartment in New York.  Where should I look?

Well, don't discount the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and you may consider Staten Island.  Ok, nobody actually wants to live in Staten Island, so cross that out.  You could also consider New Jersey, but honestly, does anyone even like New Jersey?  Of course, that being said, New Jersey is cheaper than Manhattan and most of New York City, so it may be worth considering.

Now that you have considered Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan, let me help you out further.  Here's the breakdown of what you can expect to find according to price.  Looking at sites like Craigslist.org, the Bronx has the most apartments, followed by Queens, and then Brooklyn and then lastly Manhattan.  I am talking about low cost apartments that a student should budget.  I'm not talking huge two bedroom lofts.  If you can afford such a thing as a student you should probably not be looking at this article.  If you are looking for a cheap apartment as a student in New York, however, you will want to take this into consideration.

Also, consider where your school is.  If you are going to Columbia, Queens or Brooklyn may not be desirable for your commute.  And if you are going to St. John's in Queens, you may want to forget about Brooklyn unless you enjoy sitting on the Subway for over an hour each way.  Flushing is probably not the best place to live if you are going to NYU or Fordham.  And if you are going to Cardozo, you are probably going to enjoy sitting your ass down in Manhattan more than coming from Staten Island.

Now, most of the stuff on this blog is about just being smart.  Sadly, I have noticed that there is a lot of stupidity on the internet.  For example, there's a bunch of scams out there.  One is called the Affordable Equity Project (http://www.equityproject.net).  This is a SCAM.  First of all, when I moved here myself, well over a year ago, I thought that the site was real.  Fast forward to today, they are still rockin' the same apartments.  And even if it was real, what would your chances of getting one of their stale apartments be?  Don't go with anything that seems too good to be true.  It's often a hoax/scam.

Speaking of stupidity, if you are going to Craigslist all the time searching for apartments, you may want to go get your brain scanned.  I don't say this to be rude or crude, but to be 100% honest.  I am not going to hide the ball from my reader, nor am I going to try to sell you some overpriced $20 piece of crap E-book.  I am going to lay it all out right here.  Craigslist is great for buying cheap stolen things or for selling your old stuff.  Some people even get people to dig up their yards via Craigslist by saying "free dirt."  However, Craigslist is NOT the optimum place to search for an apartment.  Streeteasy is better.  So is going to a broker.  CitiHabitats is one that I recommend.  Why?  Because they don't hide the ball and they work with people with some serious set backs.

What do I mean by set backs?  I mean, for example, people who have bad credit, international students who are freshly in New York, and new graduates with brand spakin' new jobs.  If you are one of these people, you may want to consider a broker.

Also, Craigslist is full of fake and old ads.  Ads for apartments that were sold years ago just to get you to reply.  There's so many stupid asinine mail fraud scams on Craigslist.  Roommates often would rather you share a room with them with the expectation of sexual favors than actually create a real partnership of two dudes just sharin' a room.  You get what I'm saying?  Pretty much any nasty scenario you can imagine is on Craigslist.  It's not the optimum place to find an apartment or roommate.

Now, you just got off the bus from Kansas and you want an apartment.  You realize that you are not going to get a 3 bedroom in Manhattan with a wrap around porch.  Sadly, there are people who think that there is stuff like this available.  However, reality slaps these people in the face when they go and ask a landlord for a 3 bedroom for around $600 a month.  Being fresh off the Greyhound, you may want to find a short term place to stay.  There are places on Roomorama.com in which you can rest your head.  Some are better than others.  There's a really nice cheap place I once rented in College Point which was hella cool.  And it was cheap -- $20ish a night.  Sure, the commute was awful, but it was worth it to save the money.

Now that you have found a temporary place, it's time to pound the pavement.  Get all your crap together.  Pay stubs, college financial aid forms, information from past land lords, letters of recommendation, tax forms, visa and immigration/passport information, photo id, social security card, bank statements, investment account information and credit report.  It is all required.  Landlords and brokers want you to be ready.  Do not go into a brokerage firm without this stuff.  If you do, you are probably wasting their valuable time.

Also, don't ever expect a reply to an e-mail from a broker.  Brokers DO NOT ANSWER e-mails.  That is another reason why Craigslist is often a waste for looking at apartments.  If you think an e-mail will get you a reply, you'd better think again.  You can e-mail all day, they have thousands of e-mails and most people won't even show.  They think you are wasting their time and you are wasting yours.  Again: brokers do not answer e-mails!

You may end your search finding a very nice 10 by 13 foot studio in Harlem for $1250 a month.  If so, congratulations.  It is your first place in New York.  I mean, honestly, did you expect the Trump Tower or the Dakota?  I hope not.  Of course, some people do.  We call those people dreamers, then we laugh at them behind their backs.  They are the kind of people who have their heads in the clouds and not on planet Earth.  They are silly simple minded folk who need a big dose of reality.

They will soon face reality.

Renting an apartment in Manhattan is about being smart and about being realistic.  It's about knowing your budget and not being upsold.  The brokers can be fiends and they will try to sell you a $2000 apartment when you explicitly said your budget was $1300.  It's as if they are deaf.  Just stand firm.  Say that you know that there are places in Manhattan in your price range.  There are.  You just have to be willing to show that you are the boss.  After all, it's going to be you who has to sign that 1-2 year lease, put down a security deposit equal to one month's rent, and deal with all the crap that goes on in Apartments.

Also, be wary of Bedbugs.  Those little suckers can pack a wollup.  They will bite you.  They will gnaw on you, and they will make your life hell.  When looking at an apartment make sure to inquire about bed bugs.  You really don't want to deal with them.  Believe me, I have been there and done that.  Roaches too!  Oh yes.  Nasty little roaches that crawled out of the walls and into my food.  It was nasty, vile, and disgusting.  Something that you don't want to have to deal with, so be vigilant and make sure none of that is present.

I have yet to deal with rats, but I am somewhat fond of vermin.