Moving to NYC After College: First Apartment Checklist

1. Know the Number Landlords Use

Most New York landlords want your annual income to be about 40 times the monthly rent. On a $70,000 salary that is $1,750 a month; for a $2,400 apartment it means earning $96,000. Roommates usually combine incomes to meet it.

If you fall short, which is normal in a first job, you will need a guarantor: someone who signs to cover the rent if you do not. Landlords commonly ask guarantors to earn around 80 times the monthly rent. If you do not have one, there are companies that act as a guarantor for a fee, and some landlords accept them.

2. Set a Real Budget

Rent is the big line, but the move-in month is where people get caught. Plan for first month’s rent and a security deposit up front, movers or a van, a bed if you do not have one, and a monthly subway budget. Then electricity, gas, internet and renters insurance, which costs little and which some buildings require.

A private room in a shared apartment is how most people start. You are not behind if you do not have your own place in your first year.

3. Know What You Can Legally Be Charged

New York State changed the rules in 2019, and the city added more in 2025. As general information:

• Security deposit: no more than one month’s rent. A landlord cannot ask for first, last and a deposit.
• Application fee: capped at $20, covering the background and credit check.
• Broker fees: under New York City’s FARE Act, in effect since June 2025, a broker hired by the landlord is paid by the landlord. You pay a broker fee only if you hired the broker yourself.
• Late fees: capped at $50 or 5% of the monthly rent, whichever is less.
• Getting the deposit back: the landlord has 14 days after you move out to return it with an itemized list of any deductions.

4. Get Your Documents Ready Before You Look

Good apartments go in days. The person who can send a complete application the same afternoon usually gets it. Have these as PDFs on your phone:

• Government photo ID.
• Offer letter on company letterhead with salary and start date.
• Recent pay stubs if you have started work.
• Last two bank statements.
• Last year’s tax return, if you filed one.
• The same set for your guarantor, plus their signature when the time comes.
• Contact details for a previous landlord or a reference.

5. Pick the Neighborhood by the Commute

Open the subway map, find your office, and follow its lines outward. One direct train matters more than distance. Visit at night and on a weekend, walk from the station to the door, and find the grocery store and the laundromat.

• Brooklyn Neighborhoods Compared by Commute
• NYC Sublets by Neighborhood

6. Check the Apartment, Not Just the Photos

• Water pressure and hot water: run the shower.
• Heat: ask how it is controlled and who pays.
• Windows: do they open, lock, and face a wall?
• Phone signal inside the apartment.
• Signs of pests: look under the sink and behind the stove.
• Laundry: in the unit, in the building, or down the block?
• Stairs: count the flights if there is no elevator, then imagine groceries.
• Look up the building’s violation history on the city housing department’s website.

7. Read the Lease Before You Sign

Check the rent, the term and the names. Look for the clauses on subletting, guests, renewal and what happens if you need to leave early. Ask whether the apartment is rent-stabilized; if it is, the lease must say so, and your rent increases are limited by law. Photograph every room on the day you get keys and email the photos to yourself and the landlord, so there is a dated record for your deposit.

8. Consider Subletting First

Signing a twelve-month lease from another city, for a neighborhood you have seen twice, is the riskiest way to do this. A sublet for your first month or three gives you a furnished place to land with no broker, no 40-times test in most cases, and no furniture to buy. You learn your commute and your budget, and then you look for a lease in person, with your documents ready.

Ask any sublet lister for the landlord’s written approval, see the place live before paying, and get the dates and price in writing.

• Find a Sublet
• Monthly Rentals in NYC
• How to Avoid Sublet Scams

9. Your First Week

• Set up electricity and internet in your name if they are not included.
• Buy renters insurance.
• Update your address with your employer and your bank.
• Tap in with a phone or contactless card on the subway; fares cap after a set number of rides each week.
• Meet the super and save their number.