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

East Harlem

318 East 126th Street

$1,900 base rent

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Carnegie Hill

1596 Third Avenue

$2,495 base rent

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Chelsea

327 West 21st Street

$2,350 base rent

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Hamilton Heights

580 Saint Nicholas’s Avenue

$2,400 base rent

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Yorkville

1848 Second Avenue

$2,400 base rent

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Manhattan Valley

953 Amsterdam Avenue

$2,300 base rent

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Central Harlem

19 West 129th Street

$2,150 base rent

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East Harlem

234 East 106th Street

$2,375 base rent

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Inwood

502 West 213rd Street

$1,900 base rent

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Central Harlem

165 West 127th Street

$2,000 base rent

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Hamilton Heights

469 West 147th Street

$2,075 base rent

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Upper West Side

216 West 100th Street

$2,450 base rent

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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

Oakland Gardens

75-08 Bell Boulevard

$2,300 base rent

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Woodhaven

86-22 98th Street

$2,050 base rent

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Kew Gardens

84-17 Austin Street

$2,349 base rent

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Forest Hills

67-41 Burns Street

$2,195 base rent

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Astoria

23-49 33rd Avenue

$2,000 base rent

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Jamaica

166-25 89th Avenue

$1,700 base rent

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Astoria

32-12 Broadway

$2,200 base rent

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Queens Village

93-23 218th Street

$2,150 base rent

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Pomonok

78-40 164th Street

$2,200 base rent

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Briarwood

84-02 143rd Street

$1,895 base rent

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Rego Park

63-36 98 Place

$2,500 base rent

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Briarwood

139-49 87th Avenue

$1,995 base rent

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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

Ocean Hill

342 Marion Street

$1,850 base rent

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Ditmas Park

297 East 16th Street

$1,495 base rent

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Flatbush

1209 Rogers Avenue

$2,395 base rent

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East Flatbush

906 East New York Avenue

$2,500 base rent

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Crown Heights

959 Carroll Street

$2,250 base rent

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Sheepshead Bay

615 Avenue Y

$2,300 base rent

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Prospect Park South

45 Tennis Court

$1,750 base rent

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Flatbush

1207 Rogers Avenue

$2,400 base rent

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East Flatbush

104 East 53rd Street

$2,256 base rent

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Bensonhurst

1365 West 7th Street

$1,850 base rent

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Homecrest

1840 East 13th Street

$2,400 base rent

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Prospect Lefferts Gardens

271 Clarkson Avenue

$2,125 base rent

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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

University Heights

2265 Grand Avenue

$1,900 base rent

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Concourse

1001 Walton Avenue

$2,375 base rent

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Crotona Park East

1841 Mohegan Avenue

$2,150 base rent

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Spuyten Duyvil

3210 Arlington Avenue

$2,299 base rent

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Melrose

308 East 151st Street

$2,350 base rent

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Mott Haven

310 Grand Concourse

$2,399 base rent

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Bedford Park

367 East 201st Street

$2,050 base rent

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Pelham Gardens

1413 Pelham Parkway North

$2,000 base rent

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Mott Haven

2455 3rd Avenue

$2,231 base rent

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Mott Haven

2455 3rd Avenue

$2,500 base rent

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Country Club

1110 Stadium Avenue

$2,199 base rent

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Bedford Park

225 East 202nd Street

$1,795 base rent

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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.