How to Get a Rent Stabilized Apartment in Manhattan

Apartment for Rent

Rent-stabilized apartments are apartments in buildings of six or more units built between February 01, 1947 and January 01, 1974. Since 1974, building owners/landlords have had the option of permitting rent stabilization in newly built and renovated developments for special tax benefits. A rent Stabilized apartment means that the Rent Guidelines Board sets the allowable percentage increase for renewal leases every year.

In today's unstable economy and bad real estate market, finding an apartment in Manhattan can be a daunting task. However, finding a rent stabilized apartment can prove to be even more challenging.

Things You'll Need

• Internet access
• telephone

Instructions

Visit the website of the NY State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR)

1. The number one source for finding a rent stabilized apartment is by contacting the NY State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR), the state agency which administers the rent laws. You can reach DHCR by calling their InfoLine at 718-739-6400 or 866-ASK-DHCR (866-275-3427). You can find a list of phone numbers for your local office at http://www.housingnyc.com/html/resources/dhcr/dhcroffices.html.

2. DHRC also has a list of rent stabilized apartments throughout the five boroughs including Manhattan. It can be obtained at http://www.housingnyc.com/html/resources/zip.html. It is important to note that the lists on the website only include buildings whose owners are registered with DHCR.

3. Many owners of rent stabilized apartments utilize brokers and Apartment Information Vendors (AIVs) to list their apartments. That way, you incur the high fees associated with listing and renting the apartment. Owners of rent stabilized apartments typically do not incur high advertising expenses to rent their below market apartments. So, if you can afford the fees, get yourself a broker or an AIV to find you that rent stabilized apartment in Manhattan.

4. Another option is to look in the Apartments for Rent section of websites or newspapers and databases. You can search the Apartments for Rent section of the New York Times, New York Daily News, Newsday, New York Post, and Village Voice. Databases such as Citi-Habitats charge a finder's fee. On certain websites such as Craigslist New York, you can go to the Apartments for rent section and in the search for button, you can type in "rent stabilized" in "all apartments" and a list of rent stabilized apartments will come up. The same applies to www.kijiji.com and other websites with online classifieds section.

References

• NY State Division of Housing and Community Renewal

Resources

• New York City Craigslist
• Kijiji