When To Start Looking For An Apartment Rental In New York City

Typically, individuals looking for apartment rentals in New York City must wait until approximately six weeks to one month before their move-in date to start their search. The reason for this is that most apartment buildings are not notified by their current tenants of lease renewals (and non-renewals) until that time, so most rentals will not become available until then or even later. Therefore, most brokerage firms will inform prospective renters to contact them close to the 1st of the month prior to their intended move-in date (for example, Aug 1st for a Sep 1st move-in).

In the mean time, about six weeks before move-in, start to monitor craigslist and newer sites like Naked Apartments and renthop. Each of these provide good options for finding a new apartment rental. Just make sure to check the move-in date for each listing as many of them will be for the 1st or 15th of the upcoming month.

It is always good to establish relationships with brokers before beginning a search. If they know that someone is looking for a particular type of property, they may keep their eye out for something that suddenly becomes available. Since brokers make a living on closing deals, if they see a match with a certain apartment, they’ll be on the phone as fast as possible with their client. Thus, even if it’s a bit too early to start looking for a new place, getting to know some brokers and informing them of preferences could be beneficial.

Finally, some buildings will allow for a later move-in, especially if the management companies are having a hard time filling the vacancy. For instance, if they are asking for a move-in on the 15th, it is somewhat common for them to be flexible and allow for a move-in on the 1st of the following month. Just remember, there will always be situations in NYC that are negotiable and plenty of apartment rental options when the time comes to start looking.