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

Central Harlem

211 West 146th Street

$1,950 No Fee

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1

East Village

188 East 3rd Street

$2,300 No Fee

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1

East Village

98 Saint Mark’s Place

$2,500 No Fee

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1

East Village

314 East 6th Street

$2,395 No Fee

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1

East Harlem

419 East 117th Street

$2,295 No Fee

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1

Central Harlem

112 West 138th Street

$2,000 No Fee

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1

Washington Heights

920 Riverside Drive

$2,166 No Fee

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1

Hudson Heights

867 West 181st Street

$2,300 No Fee

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1

Carnegie Hill

1257 Park Avenue

$2,450 No Fee

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1

Carnegie Hill

138 East 96th Street

$2,350 No Fee

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1

Yorkville

307 East 93rd Street

$2,429 No Fee

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1

Manhattan Valley

67 West 109th Street

$2,500 No Fee

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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

Astoria

25-56 35th Street

$2,400 No Fee

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Woodside

41-56 54th Street

$1,625 No Fee

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Forest Hills

114-20 Queens Boulevard

$2,350 No Fee

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1

Kew Gardens

83-09 Lefferts Boulevard

$2,450 No Fee

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1

Forest Hills

103-25 68th Avenue

$2,400 No Fee

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1

Woodside

41-39 52nd Street

$1,625 No Fee

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1

Douglaston

52-11 Browvale Drive

$2,000 No Fee

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1

Sunnyside

47-58 43rd Street

$2,300 No Fee

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1

Astoria

30-49 Crescent Street

$2,399 No Fee

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1

Forest Hills

111-16 66th Avenue

$2,150 No Fee

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1

Rego Park

64-48 Booth Street

$2,250 No Fee

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Auburndale

29-33 Jordan Street

$2,500 No Fee

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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

Flatbush

2718 Church Avenue

$2,499 No Fee

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1

Bedford-Stuyvesant

57 Herkimer Street

$1,873 No Fee

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1

Flatbush

2734 Snyder Avenue

$2,300 No Fee

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1

Stuyvesant Heights

1064 Myrtle Avenue

$2,400 No Fee

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1

Prospect Lefferts Gardens

41 Clarkson Avenue

$1,999 No Fee

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1

Stuyvesant Heights

82 Marion Street

$2,500 No Fee

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1

Crown Heights

1164 Pacific Street

$2,355 No Fee

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1

Greenpoint

189 Norman Avenue

$2,200 No Fee

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1

Greenwood

150 29th Street

$2,200 No Fee

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1

Greenwood

150 29th Street

$2,500 No Fee

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1

Prospect Park South

60 East 17th Street

$1,950 No Fee

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1

Williamsburg

358 Broadway

$2,000 No Fee

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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

North New York

456 East 149th Street

$1,950 No Fee

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1

Mott Haven

276 Grand Concourse

$2,308 No Fee

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Williamsbridge

3239 Barker Avenue

$2,299 No Fee

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1

Mott Haven

276 Grandconcourse

$2,275 No Fee

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Mott Haven

276 Grand Concourse

$2,365 No Fee

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1

Mott Haven

276 Grand Concourse

$2,383 No Fee

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Concourse

230 East 167th Street

$1,495 No Fee

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1

Mott Haven

40 Bruckner Boulevard

$2,403 No Fee

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1

Mott Haven

40 Bruckner Boulevard

$2,343 No Fee

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1

Mott Haven

40 Bruckner Boulevard

$2,398 No Fee

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1

Mott Haven

40 Bruckner Boulevard

$2,231 No Fee

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1

West Farms

2095 Mohegan Avenue

$1,750 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.