Maybe you felt the siren call of New York City for college. Or want to climb your way up Manhattan’s sky-scraping corporate ladder. But if you’re moving to New York for the first time, you may be in for a reality check. Finding an apartment can be as daunting as navigating the subway for the first time if you’re among the city’s many international renters. We interviewed industry pros for everything international renters need to know about finding a place to live in NYC.

Manhattan Rentals Under $2,500 on Streeteasy Article continues below

Fort George

618 West 182nd Street

$2,495 No Fee

Studio |

1

Lower East Side

40 Ludlow Street

$2,250 No Fee

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1

Kips Bay

231 East 29th Street

$2,298 No Fee

1 |

1

Washington Heights

90 Wadsworth Avenue

$1,850 No Fee

1 |

1

East Village

69 First Avenue

$2,300 No Fee

Studio |

1

Yorkville

1681 First Avenue

$2,250 No Fee

Studio |

1

Chelsea

344 West 17th Street

$2,350 No Fee

Studio |

1

Kips Bay

203 East 27th Street

$2,250 No Fee

Studio |

1

South Harlem

5 East 115th Street

$2,250 No Fee

2 |

1

South Harlem

1786 Madison Avenue

$2,250 No Fee

1 |

1

Yorkville

423 East 83rd Street

$2,450 No Fee

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1

Yorkville

500 East 89th Street

$2,175 No Fee

1 |

1

Demonstrate Your Financial Stability

Most landlords require prospective tenants to prove that they are currently employed, with a salary of at least 40 times the monthly rent. It sounds intimidating, but it’s just sticking to the common advice that your rent be no more than 30% of your income.

However, even prospective tenants with high-paying jobs in the U.S. can run into challenges if they don’t have a U.S. credit score, U.S. tax returns, and rental references from local landlords. Still, there is some good news for international renters: “No credit is always better than bad credit,” says Senad Ahmetovic, a licensed associate real estate broker for Brown Harris Stevens. Ahmetovic has worked with tenants from all over the globe, including the United Kingdom, Australia, India, China, and elsewhere.

Before applying for an apartment, request a letter from your U.S. employer that verifies your job title, length of employment, and salary. If you are moving to the U.S. for the first time, you might also consider obtaining reference letters from individuals in your home country, such as previous employers and landlords.

You should also be prepared to provide documentation of all international bank accounts and assets. In lieu of a formal credit check, these credentials will help assure prospective landlords of your ability to pay rent. “My advice to anybody renting, but especially international renters, is to get these documents together upfront,” says Angela Mannino, a licensed real estate salesperson at the Bizzarro Agency. “When you’re going through brokers, they’re going to ask for it.”

Queens Rentals Under $2,500 on Streeteasy Article continues below

Flushing

140-21 32nd Avenue

$2,375 No Fee

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1

East Flushing

140-32 Franklin Avenue

$1,850 No Fee

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1

Astoria

34-18 33rd Street

$2,500 No Fee

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1

Jamaica

152-09 88th Avenue

$2,400 No Fee

1 |

1

Jamaica

152-09 88th Avenue

$1,938 No Fee

Studio |

1

Jamaica Estates

87-01 Midland Parkway

$2,350 No Fee

2 |

1

Forest Hills

111-38 76 Drive

$2,300 No Fee

1 |

1

Oakland Gardens

64-56 223 Place

$2,300 No Fee

1 |

1

Briarwood

139-21 85 Drive

$1,995 No Fee

1 |

1

Flushing

143-16 Barclay Avenue

$1,900 No Fee

1 |

1

Briarwood

139-21 85 Drive

$1,650 No Fee

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1

Kew Gardens

83-83 118th Street

$1,625 No Fee

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1

Can International Renters Pay More Upfront?

The short answer: nope. “In the past, people would pay a few extra months of security or prepay the rent,” Ahmetovic says. But in 2019, the state of New York changed the law to protect tenants. Now, the maximum amount landlords can collect from tenants for a security deposit is one month’s rent and not a penny more. “There’s no prepayment of rent allowed, either,” Ahmetovic says.

Brooklyn Rentals Under $2,500 On StreetEasy Article continues below

Bushwick

1240 Madison Street

$2,350 No Fee

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1.5

Weeksville

776 Crown Street

$1,436 No Fee

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1

Bushwick

1053 Jefferson Avenue

$2,490 No Fee

1 |

1

Bushwick

633 Wilson Avenue

$2,300 No Fee

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1

East Flatbush

104 East 51st Street

$2,400 No Fee

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1

Mapleton

4919 19th Avenue

$2,200 No Fee

2 |

1

Stuyvesant Heights

152 Decatur Street

$1,900 No Fee

Studio |

1

Kensington

638 East Second Street

$2,400 No Fee

1 |

1

Sunset Park

751 48th Street

$1,799 No Fee

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1

Midwood

1464 Ocean Avenue

$2,300 No Fee

2 |

1

Gravesend

493 Lake Street

$1,700 No Fee

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1

Ditmas Park

395 Stratford Road

$1,880 No Fee

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1

Find a Guarantor

So, what’s an international renter without deep pockets to do? “If you don’t have a ton of reserves and don’t make the 40 x the rent, then a guarantor, someone who will pay the rent when you can’t, is absolutely essential,” says Mannino, who adds that they’ll need the guarantor’s proof of income and tax return to proceed.

Enlisting the help of a guarantor is a way to assure prospective landlords that your rent will be covered if you can’t pay it. Still, international renters should know that many landlords will not accept guarantors who reside out of the tri-state area, let alone out of the country. “There is no such thing as an international guarantor,” Ahmetovic says. “I’ve been in the business for 22 years. Some landlords will take a Canadian guarantor, but for most, the guarantor has to be the U.S.”

This was the case for 28-year-old Natasha when she moved from Vancouver to New York to begin design school. “One broker told me that in her entire real estate career she’d never seen a landlord accept a Canadian guarantor because there’s no way to take action if rent isn’t paid. I would say it comes down to either finding a building that’s familiar with international renters or finding a broker that will help push it through.” Natasha also recommends asking about the building’s guarantor policies upfront, to avoid wasting time on an application only to be turned away because you don’t meet a building’s requirements.

Don’t have a local you can ask to be your guarantor? You still have options. Ahmetovic recommends using a third-party guarantor. Companies like Insurent, Rhino, or The Guarantors can act as your guarantor in exchange for a monthly fee. “It could be as little as $20 a month, to much more,” Ahmetovic says.

Bronx Rentals Under $2,500 on StreetEasy Article continues below

Mott Haven

25 Bruckner Boulevard

$2,282 No Fee

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1

Spuyten Duyvil

2600 Netherland Avenue

$2,300 No Fee

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1

Fordham

2719 Morris Avenue

$2,186 No Fee

2 |

1

Pelham Parkway

2160 Wallace Avenue

$2,400 No Fee

2 |

1

Concourse

1546 Selwyn Avenue

$1,900 No Fee

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1

Mott Haven

276 Grand Concourse

$2,413 No Fee

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1

University Heights

2643 Sedgwick Avenue

$2,100 No Fee

2 |

1

Mott Haven

276 Grand Concourse

$2,264 No Fee

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1

Mott Haven

276 Grand Concourse

$2,266 No Fee

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1

Fordham

2350 Creston Avenue

$1,899 No Fee

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1

Mott Haven

315 Alexander Avenue

$2,322 No Fee

2 |

1

Mott Haven

329 East 132nd Street

$2,041 No Fee

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1

Work With a Real Estate Agent

Looking for the perfect SATC-worthy apartment? Hire a professional real estate agent. With boots on the ground, a good real estate broker in New York City will be well aware of all the issues you might face as an international renter. Additionally, they will likely have the knowledge and the understanding of the market gained from years of living and working here. Examples include the character of different neighborhoods and buildings, the responsiveness of landlords and management companies, and more. A real estate broker can help an international renter get their feet literally in the door — so they can start living their best NYC life.