After summer is over...

yes, rents have come up this summer (from where they were in the spring and winter, and will drop again going into the fall. also, some landlords will begin to reintroduce some concessions they pulled in the last couple of months

I'm not more educated but I can tell you that I resigned my lease (for a lower price) in July and the same unit below me is now listed $200. cheaper than mine. I assume that means they're still going down? This is a Related building, where things are pretty consistent & driven by the markets, btw.

lases, what is $200 of the rent in a related building? 5% off or less of your rent? they are at the top end of the market? they could have been anticipating future vacancies in that factor. related has been in my mind one of the more proactive landlords when it comes to anticipating a downward trend and trying to either keep people in their buildings or get new tennants with inducements. did you try and negotiate your rent at all?

Nico, one thought is that if your lease ends on 10/31, you really have a lot more than 3 weeks to decide. Tell them you're going to look around and decide later. If you come back to them, say, October 10th, and say you'd like to stay, I'm pretty sure you'll have that option.

from what I understand Related is getting a ton of corporate apts. handed back to them.

OK, advice: If you had an option to sublet for a month and try to find an October 1 year long lease or try to get a last minute September lease for the year, which would get a better deal?

Most likely the sublet would be the best option, assuming you don't have a lot of stuff and aren't paying movers, Youngin. Being over a barrel and needing a lease immediately puts you at a disadvantage in negotiations. But the amount you'd save in rent for that month would have to offset the costs of moving twice in a short period, so I think it depends upon how much you own and whether or not you're paying someone else to move your stuff.