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.
Table of Contents
Manhattan Rentals Under $2,500 on Streeteasy Article continues below
Hell’s Kitchen
338 West 47th Street
$2,475No Fee
Studio |
1
Beekman
34 Beekman Place
$2,500No Fee
Studio |
1
Lower East Side
95 Orchard Street
$2,495No Fee
1 |
1
Manhattan Valley
56 West 106th Street
$2,195No Fee
Studio |
1
East Harlem
157 East 99th Street
$2,075No Fee
1 |
1
Washington Heights
559 West 161st Street
$1,800No Fee
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
1431 York Avenue
$2,500No Fee
1 |
1
Inwood
133 Sherman Avenue
$2,495No Fee
2 |
1
Upper East Side
151 East 81st Street
$2,495No Fee
Studio |
1
Chelsea
335 West 19th Street
$2,350No Fee
Studio |
1
Inwood
254 Seaman Avenue
$2,292No Fee
2 |
1
Upper West Side
235 West 102nd Street
$2,500No Fee
Studio |
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
27-16 12th Street
$2,350No Fee
1 |
1
Forest Hills
104-20 Queens Boulevard
$2,374No Fee
Studio |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
21-41 28th Street
$2,099No Fee
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
21-22 29th Street
$2,399No Fee
1 |
1
Glen Oaks
245-20 Grand Central Parkway
$2,115No Fee
Studio |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
21-63 27th Street
$2,050No Fee
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
23-11 21st Avenue
$2,450No Fee
1 |
1
Woodside
44-53 64th Street
$2,500No Fee
2 |
1
Sunnyside
41-43 43rd Street
$2,350No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
33-43 Vernon Boulevard
$2,100No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
25-23 Steinway Street
$1,750No Fee
Studio |
1
Astoria
25-43 35th Street
$2,400No Fee
2 |
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
Crown Heights
2240 Pacific Street
$2,050No Fee
2 |
1
Crown Heights
1700 Bedford Avenue
$1,600No Fee
Studio |
1
Bushwick
8 Palmetto Street
$2,027No Fee
Studio |
1
Prospect Lefferts Gardens
31 Chester Court
$2,000No Fee
1 |
1
Flatbush
641 East 28th Street
$1,995No Fee
Studio |
1
East Flatbush
1634 Flatbush Avenue
$2,000No Fee
Studio |
1
Crown Heights
901 Saint Johns Place
$2,300No Fee
1 |
1
East Flatbush
1249 New York Avenue
$2,399No Fee
Studio |
1
Flatbush
2665 Bedford Avenue
$2,095No Fee
1 |
1
Flatbush
3206 Glenwood Road
$2,249No Fee
1 |
1
Bedford-Stuyvesant
78 Herkimer Street
$2,500No Fee
1 |
1
Ocean Hill
2164A Fulton Street
$2,500No Fee
1 |
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 StreetEasyArticle continues below
North New York
421 East 135th Street
$2,400No Fee
2 |
1
Crotona Park East
1425 Longfellow Avenue
$1,649No Fee
1 |
1
University Heights
2305 Sedgewick Avenue
$1,495No Fee
1 |
1
Soundview
745 Taylor Avenue
$1,700No Fee
1 |
1
Spuyten Duyvil
2287 Johnson Avenue
$2,450No Fee
1 |
1
Kingsbridge Heights
2798 Webb Avenue
$1,754No Fee
Studio |
1
East Tremont
785 Fairmount Place
$1,754No Fee
Studio |
1
Bronxwood
2723 Barnes Avenue
$1,500No Fee
Studio |
1
Fordham
2763 Morris Avenue
$2,000No Fee
Studio |
1
Norwood
3488 Webster Avenue
$2,150No Fee
2 |
1
Norwood
1 East 213rd Street
$1,550No Fee
1 |
1
West Farms
921 East 179th Street
$2,474No Fee
3 |
1
Work With a Real Estate Agent
Looking for the perfect SATC-worthyapartment? 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.