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
Kips Bay
143 East 30th Street
$2,450No Fee
Studio |
1
Carnegie Hill
1261 Park Avenue
$2,500No Fee
1 |
1
Kips Bay
139 East 27th Street
$2,366No Fee
Studio |
1
Central Harlem
48 West 138th Street
$2,200No Fee
Studio |
1
Yorkville
515 East 83rd Street
$2,290No Fee
Studio |
1
Yorkville
314 East 80th Street
$2,200No Fee
Studio |
1
Hell’s Kitchen
531 West 48th Street
$2,475No Fee
1 |
1
Lenox Hill
355 East 73rd Street
$2,495No Fee
Studio |
1
East Harlem
353 Pleasant Avenue
$2,300No Fee
2 |
1
Washington Heights
515 West 170th Street
$2,450No Fee
2 |
1
Hudson Heights
10 Bennett Avenue
$1,500No Fee
Studio |
1
Gramercy Park
307 East 14th Street
$2,095No 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
Murray Hill (Queens)
144-32 35th Avenue
$2,425No Fee
1 |
1
Astoria
32-63 33rd Street
$2,450No Fee
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
18-11 21 Road
$2,250No Fee
1 |
1
Ditmars-Steinway
18-11 21 Road
$2,250No Fee
1 |
1
Jackson Heights
37-50 83rd Street
$1,550No Fee
Studio |
1
Jamaica Estates
177-18 Wexford Terrace
$2,045No Fee
Studio |
1
Forest Hills
67-27 Booth Street
$2,300No Fee
1 |
1
Forest Hills
111-45 76 Drive
$2,495No Fee
1 |
1
Forest Hills
76-01 113th Street
$2,080No Fee
1 |
1
Far Rockaway
10-12 Nameoke Street
$1,799No Fee
1 |
1
Forest Hills
70-07 110th Street
$2,350No Fee
1 |
1
Maspeth
59-55 60 Lane
$2,200No Fee
1 |
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
Brooklyn Heights
134 State Street
$2,450No Fee
Studio |
1
Midwood
1470 Coney Island Avenue
$1,825No Fee
1 |
1
Bedford-Stuyvesant
14 Arlington Place
$2,350No Fee
1 |
1
East Flatbush
457 Schenectady Avenue
$1,975No Fee
1 |
1
Stuyvesant Heights
501 Hancock Street
$2,395No Fee
1 |
1
Stuyvesant Heights
912 Gates Avenue
$2,495No Fee
1 |
1
Weeksville
1690 Bergen Street
$2,480No Fee
1 |
1
Sunset Park
880 47th Street
$2,200No Fee
1 |
1
Stuyvesant Heights
333 Vernon Avenue
$2,495No Fee
3 |
1
Flatbush
800 Flatbush Avenue
$2,415No Fee
Studio |
1
East New York
742 Shepherd Avenue
$1,749No Fee
Studio |
1
Greenwood
719 Fifth Avenue
$2,300No 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
Pelham Parkway
2160 Wallace Avenue
$1,750No Fee
1 |
1
Fordham
2701 Grandconcourse
$1,750No Fee
1 |
1
Concourse
1565 Grand Concourse
$1,951No Fee
1 |
1
Kingsbridge
3633 Kingsbridge Avenue
$2,350No Fee
1 |
1
Mott Haven
2455 Third Avenue
$2,222No Fee
Studio |
1
Mott Haven
276 Grand Concourse
$2,300No Fee
1 |
1
Melrose
368 East 152nd Street
$2,100No Fee
1 |
1
Spuyten Duyvil
644 West 227th Street
$2,250No Fee
1 |
1
Spuyten Duyvil
644 West 227th Street
$1,675No Fee
Studio |
1
Mott Haven
276 Grand Concourse
$2,325No Fee
1 |
1
Mott Haven
276 Grand Concourse
$2,236No Fee
1 |
1
Mott Haven
101 Bruckner Boulevard
$2,064No Fee
1 |
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.