Apartment hunting SUCKS, especially in New York City.
You have to deal with brokers, open houses with lines that stretch around the block, ridiculous fees, and the stress of competing with what feels like the entire city to find a place to live.
Two things you should know off the bat:
If you are not breaking your lease but vacating before it’s over and your landlord finds someone to move in before you last month ends, they technically have to give back you a portion of your rent since they can’t collect the same month’s rent from two different people.
Example: Your lease is up at the end of July but you decided to move out in the middle of the month. Rent is due on July 1st. If you move out on July 10th and someone moves in on July 15th, your landlord has to give you back the rent you paid for July 15th - 31st.
Landlords can’t require first and last month’s rent as a security deposit when you sign a lease - it’s illegal! They are only allowed to ask for one month’s rent when you sign.
Helpful Apps
My husband, Cameron, harnesses the power of his ADHD to lock in 😤🤘🙏 when we’re searching for an apartment and he sourced all of the apps/newsletters below when we were on the hunt:
Furniture we’re eyeing
We’ve found a cute little spot, but that also means it’s out with the old, in with the new, and not everything in our old apartment will work in our new one. We are utilizing a collaborative notes app to track all of the exciting pieces we find before making a decision and I’ve added some of them below.
Champ Coffee Table
Why we like it: The simple blunt shape doesn’t over-engineer what is- a cute table with storage on the bottom for magazines etc.
How much: $180
The Panel + Groove Shelving System
Why we like it: We want a vinyl station and this modular unit can evolve with our record collection.
How much: tbd based on what you build!
Carin Sectional
Why we like it: It’s plush, a good price point, and has plenty of room for napping.
How much: $2,141
Swell Shelf
Why we like it: It’s a cute catch-all for key, sunglasses, wallets - all of the things I have a bad habit of losing 🤪
How much: $100