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Sublet Buddy Guides

The Renting Guide for New York and College Cities

88 plain-English guides on subletting, renting, rent data and renters’ rights, for students and young professionals.

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Manhattan at sunset. Photo: Sublet Buddy.

The Lower Manhattan skyline at night from BrooklynSublettingHow to Handle Your Sublet: A Start-to-Finish PlaybookTo handle your sublet well, do it in this order: read your lease, get your landlord’s written approval, tell your roommates, set a price, list with exact dates, choose someone fairly, sign a written agreement, and hand over the keys with photos of the place. Each step below takes an evening or less.

3 min read

Start Here

01Renting in NYCHow Renting an Apartment in NYC Works, Step by Step

4 min read

02Going AbroadStudy Abroad Apartment Checklist: Before You Leave NYC

4 min read

03ResearchHow to Value a NYC Apartment: A Fair Rent Formula

6 min read

04ResearchNYC Rent by Neighborhood: Median Asking Rents

2 min read

05Rules & RightsNYC Broker Fees and the FARE Act: Who Pays Now

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Evening traffic on a Midtown streetInterns & New GradsFirst Apartment in NYC for New Analysts and AssociatesA first apartment in NYC for incoming banking, private equity and consulting analysts: commute rules for late hours, July timing and the income screen.

4 min read

Traffic passing the billboards of Times SquareResearchThe Best Time to Rent in NYC: Rent by MonthWhen New York City rents are lowest and highest, month by month, from StreetEasy asking-rent data, and what it means for leases and sublets.

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Evening traffic on a Midtown streetSublettingHow to Ask Your Landlord to Sublet in New YorkHow to ask your landlord to sublet in New York: a friendly email first, then a certified-mail request under Real Property Law 226-b, and the 30-day clock.

4 min read

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Subletting

How to handle your sublet, start to finish.

12 GuidesSee All

Central Park in autumn seen from above, with Midtown behind itSublettingHow to Sublet Your Apartment for the Summer in NYCLeaving New York for the summer? How to sublet your room or apartment for June to August: approval, dates, price and what three empty months really cost.

2 min read

The Lower Manhattan skyline at night from BrooklynSublettingHow to Handle Your Sublet: A Start-to-Finish Playbook

3 min read

The Manhattan skyline at sunsetSublettingSublet Checklist: What to Do Before You Leave

4 min read

Central Park in autumn seen from above, with Midtown behind itSublettingHow to Write a Sublet Listing That Gets Replies

3 min read

Traffic passing the billboards of Times SquareSublettingHow to Photograph Your Room for a Sublet (Phone Only)

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Going Abroad

Leaving for a semester, a summer or a co-op.

11 GuidesSee All

Traffic passing the billboards of Times SquareGoing AbroadStudying Abroad? What to Do with Your NYC ApartmentYour options for a New York apartment while you study abroad: keep paying, break the lease, find a replacement, or sublet for the semester, with the cost of each.

2 min read

Central Park in autumn seen from above, with Midtown behind itGoing AbroadStudy Abroad Apartment Checklist: Before You Leave NYC

4 min read

Traffic passing the billboards of Times SquareGoing AbroadStudy Abroad Housing Timeline: 3 Months Out to Your Return

4 min read

Looking up Seventh Avenue through Times SquareGoing AbroadManaging a Sublet from Abroad: Repairs, Rent and Time Zones

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Yellow cabs on an avenue in Midtown ManhattanGoing AbroadSpring Semester Abroad: Sublet Your NYC Room January to May

4 min read

Renting in NYC

How renting in New York actually works.

7 GuidesSee All

Evening traffic on a Midtown streetRenting in NYCHow to Avoid Sublet Scams in NYC (and Tell If One Is a Scam)The signs a New York sublet listing is a scam, what to check before you pay, and what Sublet Buddy does and does not verify.

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The Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan at duskRenting in NYCMoving to NYC After College: First Apartment Checklist

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Traffic passing the billboards of Times SquareRenting in NYCHow Renting an Apartment in NYC Works, Step by Step

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Evening traffic on a Midtown streetRenting in NYCNYC Apartment Application: Documents to Have Ready

4 min read

The Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan at duskRenting in NYCHow to Read a NYC Lease: The Clauses That Matter

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Students

Off-campus housing, by campus and by season.

7 GuidesSee All

People cycling along a tree-lined riverside pathStudentsNYU Off-Campus Housing: Where to Live and What It CostsNYU off-campus housing explained: the neighborhoods near Washington Square and the Brooklyn campus, median rents, when to look and what NYU offers.

4 min read

The Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan at duskStudentsColumbia Off-Campus Housing: Neighborhoods and Rents

4 min read

The Lower Manhattan skyline at night from BrooklynStudentsOff-Campus Housing in NYC: A Guide by College Campus

4 min read

The Manhattan skyline at sunsetStudentsDorm vs. Apartment in NYC: How to Compare the Real Cost

4 min read

Central Park in autumn seen from above, with Midtown behind itStudentsRenting in NYC as an International Student: A Guide

5 min read

Interns & New Grads

Where to live for the job, and for how long.

6 GuidesSee All

Looking up Seventh Avenue through Times SquareInterns & New GradsSummer Intern Housing in NYC: The Complete GuideHow to find housing for a New York summer internship: sublets, university housing and furnished rentals compared, with a timeline and a budget method.

4 min read

People cycling along a tree-lined riverside pathInterns & New GradsWhere Banking and Consulting Interns Live in NYC

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Yellow cabs on an avenue in Midtown ManhattanInterns & New GradsFirst Job in NYC: Where to Live, by Office District

4 min read

Evening traffic on a Midtown streetInterns & New GradsFirst Apartment in NYC for New Analysts and Associates

4 min read

People cycling along a tree-lined riverside pathInterns & New GradsTemporary Housing in NYC When You Relocate for Work

4 min read

Money

What it costs, with the arithmetic shown.

6 GuidesSee All

Looking up Seventh Avenue through Times SquareMoneyHow Much Can You Charge for a Sublet in NYC?How to price a New York sublet: the rule for rent-stabilized apartments, what most people charge, and honest math on what an empty room costs.

2 min read

Yellow cabs on an avenue in Midtown ManhattanMoneyThe 40x Rent Rule in NYC and How Guarantors Work

4 min read

Traffic passing the billboards of Times SquareMoneyRenters Insurance in NYC: What It Covers, Who Needs It

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Looking up Seventh Avenue through Times SquareMoneyThe Cost of Moving to NYC: What You Pay Up Front

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Evening traffic on a Midtown streetMoneySplitting Rent with Roommates in NYC: Fair Ways to Do It

5 min read

Rules & Rights

The law in plain English, with the official source.

8 GuidesSee All

Yellow cabs on an avenue in Midtown ManhattanRules & RightsIs Subletting Legal in NYC? The Rules in Plain EnglishYes, with your landlord’s consent. What New York Real Property Law 226-b says about subletting: who it covers, how to ask, the 30-day answer, and the limits.

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Central Park in autumn seen from above, with Midtown behind itRules & RightsNYC Local Law 18 and the 30-Day Rule, Explained

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Traffic passing the billboards of Times SquareRules & RightsSubletting a Rent-Stabilized Apartment in NYC: The Rules

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Evening traffic on a Midtown streetRules & RightsSublet vs. Lease Takeover vs. Short-Term Rental: Which One?

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Looking up Seventh Avenue through Times SquareRules & RightsNYC Broker Fees and the FARE Act: Who Pays Now

4 min read

Neighborhoods

Places, trains and commutes.

2 GuidesSee All

Yellow cabs on an avenue in Midtown ManhattanNeighborhoodsBest Brooklyn Neighborhoods for Young ProfessionalsBrooklyn neighborhoods compared the practical way: which trains you get, how long to Midtown and the Financial District, and what is nearby.

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The Lower Manhattan skyline at night from BrooklynNeighborhoodsManhattan vs. Brooklyn vs. Queens: Renting Compared

4 min read

Compare

Options side by side.

4 GuidesSee All

People cycling along a tree-lined riverside pathCompareBest Sublet Websites in NYC: How to ChooseWhere people find sublets in New York City (marketplaces, classifieds, Facebook groups and school boards) and what to check on any of them.

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The Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan at duskCompareLooking for an Ohana Alternative? How Sublet Buddy Differs

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The Lower Manhattan skyline at night from BrooklynCompareLooking for a Snag Sublets Alternative? How Sublet Buddy Differs

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The Manhattan skyline at sunsetCompareRoommate Finder in NYC, or a Sublet? Which One You Need

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City Guides

Subletting in college cities across the US. Sublet Buddy’s listings are live in New York City; the other cities are on the way.

20 GuidesSee All

The Brooklyn Bridge and Lower Manhattan at duskSublet GuideNew York CitySunset over the Charles River in BostonSublet GuideBostonLooking down Broad Street to Philadelphia City HallSublet GuidePhiladelphiaCherry blossoms on a campus in Washington, DCSublet GuideWashington, DCTowers along the Miami coast from the airSublet GuideMiamiSublet GuideAtlantaSublet GuidePittsburghSublet GuideChicagoSublet GuideAnn ArborSublet GuideNashvilleA palm-lined street in Los AngelesSublet GuideLos AngelesThe San Francisco skyline and ballpark from the airSublet GuideSan FranciscoSublet GuideAustinSublet GuideSeattleSublet GuideSan DiegoSublet GuideDenverSublet GuideDallasSublet GuideHoustonSublet GuideMadisonSublet GuideMinneapolis

Research

Rent data from StreetEasy, and the method we use to value a place, with every assumption shown.

3 GuidesSee All

01ResearchHow to Value a NYC Apartment: A Fair Rent Formula

6 min read

02ResearchNYC Rent by Neighborhood: Median Asking Rents

2 min read

03ResearchThe Best Time to Rent in NYC: Rent by Month

2 min read

New York City asking rents by month, against the yearly average
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JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Source: StreetEasy citywide median asking rent, monthly, 2014 to 2026 with 2020 and 2021 left out. Each month is compared with the average of the twelve months around it.

Every Guide

The full list, by section.

88 Guides

General information, not legal advice. Sublet Buddy FAQ