For this section, we've compiled an extensive list of New York City
rental apartment buildings.
The majority of buildings listed are "no-fee" - i.e. managed by companies that deal directly with renters. That means you do not need to hire a broker in order to rent an apartment there.
Some managers prefer to "outsource" the rental
process to brokerages that do collect a fee. Whenever we have information that such an arrangement takes place, we note it in the building's profile page.
Most buildings listed offer unfurnished apartments, but major appliances are nearly always included. Typical leases are 12 and 24 months. The buildings are grouped by area.
This is a partial list of rental apartment buildings in Downtown Manhattan
(i.e. below 14th street).
The
complete list of downtown rental buildings (containing 360 buildings)
is a bit longer.
100 Maiden Lane
(Financial District) {9 available apts} Former headquarters of Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft converted
into a residential building in 2005.
The centerpiece of 100 Maiden Lane is its 100-foot high atrium, which is top....
2 Gold Street
(Financial District) {12 available apts} A 51-story tower, joined to a smaller "sister" building of 26 stories. The façade alternates between cream-colored brick and "high-performance" windows
with recesses for balc....
Le Rivage
(21 West Street, Battery Park City) {3 available apts} Built in 1926 in the Art Deco style, restored and converted in 1998. Architectural details abound in the halls, lobby and elevators.
Post Towers
(75 West Street, Battery Park City) {8 available apts} The building is named Post Towers after The New York Post, for which it was built in 1926. The Post left it in 1970, and the Bank of New York used it until 1996.
Archstone Clinton
(510 West 52nd Street, Hell's Kitchen (Clinton)) {24 available apts} Two 24-story towers. The project is built under
the 80/20 program and 126 apartments will house
lower-income families.
The Montrose
(306-308 East 38th Street, Murray Hill) {3 available apts} 20-story, 104,000-square-foot luxury residential rental project.
A "boutique" building with fewer than a hundred units, but many luxury amenities, offering residents a "user-f....
The Tate
(535 West 23rd Street, Chelsea) {1 available apt} A building offering a "a selection of over forty different apartments, with features that include granite kitchens, stone baths, and washers and dryers in every home."
2300 Fifth Avenue
(Central Harlem) {2 available apts} This is one of the seven buildings of the Savoy
Park development, this site was once home to the legendary
Savoy Ballroom.
Lenox Terrace
(470-484 Lenox Avenue, Central Harlem) {14 available apts} A 6-building residential community in Harlem.
The Manhattan Court
(444 Manhattan Avenue, Central Harlem) {5 available apts} A modern, luxury building in Harlem. Some apartments are reserved as 'affordable' for mid-income residents.
Although
Roosevelt Island
is officially part of the borough of Manhattan,
it is an island, so if you decide to rent there, you'll need to get acquainted with a lesser-known mode of transportation called the air-tram.
Manhattan Park on Roosevelt Island
(10-40 River Road, Roosevelt Island) Over a thousand rental apartments in five buildings. Many residents are UN employees. 94 apartments are reserved for the elderly and physically challenged.
The Octagon
(888 Main Street, Roosevelt Island) A luxury apartment building offering a wide range of services and amenities including tennis courts, waterfront pool, health club & day care center. The building was designed ....
Clermont Armory Towers
(171 Clermont Avenue, Fort Greene) {1 available apt} Built in two wings behind the façade of the original armory, the apartments face an elevated courtyard.
In an attempt to capture some of the character of the original Clerm....
State Renaissance Court
(200 Schermerhorn Street, Boerum Hill) {1 available apt} A mid-rise luxury building designed by the architectural team of James McCullar & Associates to complement the existing architecture in the area in both the building’s mid-r....
East Coast @ 4720 Center Blvd.
(4720 Center Boulevard, Long Island City) {5 available apts} 32-story tower is part of "East Coast" - a development project for Long Island City. The tower sits right on the waterfront.
Grand Court
(23-15 30th Avenue, Astoria) {1 available apt} A low-rise walk-up building.
The majority of buildings listed on our site are so-called
no-fee buildings. That means that you'll be dealing with the management company directly, without any intermediaries (brokers or agents) and consequently, you won't be required to pay extra fees.
There are certain exceptions, though. When you see that building is "represented" by an "exclusive rental agent" (usually a
large brokerage) you will have no choice but to talk to them. Ask them if there's a fee - some of these "exclusive" arrangements stipulate
that broker fees not be charged.
(This advice does not apply, however, if you
didn't contact the management directly but
rather were shown an apartment by a broker
and only then did your research to find out
you could have rented directly. In such
circumstances, most buildings will enact the
"brokers protected" policy, since you probably have signed
away your right to deal directly with the
management when you first met your broker).
In New York, a typical broker's fee is about 15% (up to 20% in some cases)
of one year's rent. Thus, a typical broker's fee on a $3,000 apartment will be
$5,400. No wonder New Yorkers have been looking hard to avoid paying
such fees (thanks to NYBits, they can now do that!).
In certain situations, however, brokers charge less - for example, it is
not uncommon to pay a "low fee" around 10% or even a fee of one month's rent (which roughly corresponds to 8.3%).
When we have information that a building is rented through a brokerage
a requires a fee, we show a "fee warning" prominently in the building
capsule.
Management companies have been known to use the terms "doorman" and "concierge" almost interchangeably, although technically, the two things are diffent (it's quite possible, for example, to have both a doorman and a concierge).
Loosely defined, the word "doorman" could mean a part-time employee to sign for packages during the day, a full-time one (same with extended hours), or even
a 24/7 presence in your lobby. When in doubt, ask!
Keep in mind that the services of your doorman (or concierge) don't come free. Citi Habitats' research indicates that doorman buildings (which is to say the majority of buildings listed on NY Bits) normally charge 5%-30% higher rents, depending on the neighborhood. Of course, it can be argued that doorman buildings tend to have better amenities and thus higher rents are justified. Another point: the same firm's research indicates that the minimum size of a building required to justify the expense of a doorman is around 40 units. Thus, doorman buildings tend to be larger than non-doorman ones.
If you need a place for less than a full year, it might make sense to look into
a furnished short-term rental apartment. Below are some of the managers offering
such accomodations. Most of them rent by the month (even its only for 1 month),
but sometimes weekly and even daily rates are available as well.
25 Clinton
(25 Clinton Street, Lower East Side) {16 available apts} Inexpensive furnished downtown apartments for long or short term.
Bridge Suites
(351 East 60th Street, Upper East Side) Fully furnished walk-up studios and one bedrooms for short-term lease.