64 new york | september 16–29, 2019
renters were right to rejoice in June, when New
York State stunned landlords by approving legislation
with powerful tenant protections. Any lease that goes
into effect after the laws were signed is subject to new
rules: For instance, rent-stabilized apartments no lon-
ger can be reclassified as market rate (regardless of a
tenant’s income or increases in monthly rent), and
landlords may only charge up to $89 for improvements
(down from $1,000). There’s also good news for those who aren’t fortu-
nate enough to live in a regulated $800 studio in the West Village, like a
cap on security deposits at one month’s rent and a $20 limit on application
fees. And landlords are also required to give 30 days’ notice if they plan
to raise the rent over 5 percent. But what about finding an apartment
to begin with? Rents have exploded throughout the boroughs to record
highs, Craigslist remains a cesspool of poorly lit scams, and Zillow—
which owns StreetEasy, HotPads, Naked Apartments, and Trulia—
has virtually monopolized the online-listings market, resulting in one
company controlling prices as well as lifting fees, which brokers are
passing on to renters. For many New Yorkers, going outside the
system—whether by joining a Facebook group for vegans or stalking
a certain cul-de-sac until you see a for rent sign—remains the best
way to find a place. Here are their tales.Craigslistisa wasteland,Zillowownseverything,sotrythese
problem solving
DON’T IGNORE
ORTHE HEALTH FOOD STO E
BULLETIN BOARD
THE ST EETLIGHT
FLYER
DROP AHAND
WRITTEN
NOTE
TO YOUR
POTENTIAL
LANDLORDKALEN KAMINSKI,
prop stylist
(and tie-dyer)“I had just been
evicted from my office-
work space and saw
this beautiful old loft
building with glass
brick in Chinatown.
I put it on my
Instagram Stories and
said, ‘Who knows
what’s up with this
building?’ Somebody
commented with the
broker’s info. A unit
had just become
available, but the
broker strung us along
for two months. My
mom, a Realtor in
Colorado, was like,
‘Why don’t you drop
a note by the office?’
I said, ‘That’s the most
Boulder thing ever,’
but I did and also
made a mood-board
deck of what I do.
A few days later, the
landlord asked me
to sign a lease.”BEFRIEND THE
DOOR
MAN
OF A
BUILDING YOU
WANT TO LIVE INRICHARD BERG, software
engineer and musician“I had my eye on a two-
bedroom in Fidi. It had
been on the market
for 100 days but was no
longer on StreetEasy;
a broker friend told me
they rotate listings in
and out to save money. I
chatted up the doorman,
who let me see it, then
contacted the owner
and said: ‘It’s just sitting
there unrented.’ I got it
$500 below asking.”i was living in new jersey and wanted to move
to the city. I was on Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights
and saw a few signs. One said ‘Room for one person in
Jamaica’ in Spanish. Follow your intuition: If it
doesn’t feel right, don’t continue; same way
when it feels right. My new landlord is not
aware of the apps and does things the old-
school way, as we do in Latino countries—
on the phone, I felt that he was a good person.
I’ve been month-to-month ever since.” —KAREN
VIRUES, English student and Spanish tutormy boyfriend and i had been looking in
Bushwick—everything was expensive with a weird lay-
out. We went into the Hana health-food store, by the
Jefferson stop, and saw this bulletin board, the
kind everyone ignores, with ads for yoga and
dog walking. One cryptically said ‘Apartment in
Bushwick.’ Couldn’t hurt to call, we figured.
It was this two-story, wooden-looking condo
from the ’80s—two bedrooms, washer-dryer,
backyard, driveway—all for $1,700 a month.”
—BRÁULIO AMADO, graphic designer31 IDEAS RENTIN
FOR