How to find a roommate in New York City

New Yorkers pay almost 60 percent of their income on rent. That’s why so many New Yorkers want a roommate to share costs. If you’re already living in New York you know how the roommate game works. But if you’re new to the city, finding a roommate can be daunting. Here’s what to do.

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Moving in the winter: what to know

If you’re a newbie winter renter you probably do not know the inventory of available apartments is lower or that you’re probably seeing better rental prices that your friends paying market price in the same neighborhood will drool over...

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Little Known Facts about Brooklyn

On 2006, a cold war bomb shelter was uncovered on the Brooklyn Bridge during a routine structural inspection of the city. Inside the bunker were more than 350,000 crackers (just what you need to munch on if it’s sort of the end of the world) – some of these were still edible. Also found were some medical supplies, paper blankets and water drums...

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Unrealistic Expectations.

I am like a personal trainer at the gym who will get you where you want to be in the most effective and efficient manner – what I cannot do, however is give you an apartment that doesn’t exist. Many people reach out to me with unrealistic expectations and this is probably an issue for someone who is renting for the first time or who hasn’t rented in a long time...

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Your rent has gone up. What do to. One client's story.

Your rent has gone up. For the third or fifth time. And you’re beginning to feel the urge to move. After all you can rent another one bedroom for less than what you’re paying. Right? Wrong. I recently began to help a client who faced this situation. She had been living in a nice doorman apartment in Brooklyn and every year the landlord raised her rent...

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Self-Certification (New York City Department of Buildings)

What is self-certification? It means that an architect or engineer hired by a building owner either to modify or construct a building (such as 50 West 69th Street, among others) can make statements to the Department of Buildings that components of the construction process are safe (when in fact they may not be)...

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Nightmare Stories by Real New Yorkers: Rats

True Nightmare Stories by Tenants Who Lived to Tell: I was living in Bushwick, and after Sandy, a lot of Brooklyn's rats got pushed inland. One night I heard a rustle, something got on a plastic bag. It was too loud to be a mouse. After investigating my girlfriend and I found large droppings under the sink, so we invested in glue traps…

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Has your landlord breached your Warranty of Habitability? Here is how to know.

Nothing upsets me more than landlords who do not respect their tenants and their quality of life. If you live in an apartment rental you will want to read this to find out if your rights have been breached. The warranty of habitability is an implied warranty, read into the lease as a matter of law.

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What’s it like for an Indian guy to live in New York City?

At first, it all seems like a dream. The very first day you're there, you look at the skyscrapers every now and then with a silly delight and then remind yourself, with a glee at once innocent and self-important that you're now a part of this world, this swanky, rich, confident world.

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Beyond Normal Wear and Tear: When a Landlord Can Keep most of your Security Deposit

A former client of mine with two cats recently moved out of the apartment I found for her four years ago. She outgrew her large studio and wanted to upgrade to one-bedroom. Instead of receiving her security deposit back she was told by the landlord...

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