🇺🇸 United States · Tier A
Moving to New York
New York does not really have a housing search problem for newcomers — it has a qualification problem. Buildings want to see income of forty times the monthly rent, a credit history, and a guarantor, and someone who has just landed from abroad has none of the three. Solving that before you look saves more time than any amount of browsing.
- City tier
- Tier A
- major hubs
- Full home search
- $899
- Starter, flat fee
- Search + setup
- $1,900
- Premium, flat fee
- Check one listing
- $49
- Verify, per visit
Where to live
Neighbourhoods in New York
Your Insidoor walks these before they shortlist anything, and will tell you which one actually fits how you live.
Astoria, Queens
First movers, value seekersN and W trains, genuinely good food, and Manhattan rents minus a third.
Williamsburg & Greenpoint
Young professionalsThe L and G trains. Expensive now, but the new-build supply keeps it liquid.
Upper East Side
Families, quieter moversThe best value per square foot in Manhattan, and the Second Avenue subway helped.
Jersey City
Commuters, familiesOne PATH stop from the Financial District, for meaningfully less. Different state, different taxes.
What it costs to rent
Indicative rents
Monthly, unfurnished, excluding utilities. Broker fees are separate and can be substantial.
Indicative only, last checked . Rents move; your Insidoor confirms what the market is actually doing before you commit to anything.
What catches people out
The New York traps
Every market has its own way of costing newcomers money. These are the ones worth knowing before you start.
The wire transfer that ends the conversation
Listings that do not exist, posted to harvest deposits, are a permanent fixture of the New York market. If you are asked to wire money to see a place or hold it, walk.
The broker fee nobody mentioned
A broker fee can reach 15% of the annual rent — on a $3,500 apartment that is over $6,000, due at signing. Recent rules shifted who pays it in some cases; confirm in writing before you view.
40x income, and no credit file
Most buildings want annual income of forty times the monthly rent, verified. Newcomers have no US credit history at all, which reads as a decline. Institutional guarantor services exist and cost a percentage of the annual rent — budget for one.
After the keys
The admin that follows a move
On Premium, your Insidoor does this with you rather than sending you a checklist. Timing in New York: Four to six weeks. Leases turn on the 1st and the paperwork is the slow part.
Social Security number
Apply as soon as you are eligible. Almost every financial product asks for it, and building applications often do too.
A guarantor, or a substitute
Either a US-based guarantor earning 80x the monthly rent, or a paid guarantor service. Arrange this before you start viewing, not after you find something.
Utilities
Con Edison for electricity and gas in most of the city. Set up before move-in; transfers can take several days.
Renter's insurance
Increasingly required by the lease rather than optional. Cheap, and worth having regardless.
Language. English throughout. Your Insidoor works with you in English and negotiates on your behalf in whatever the lease is written in.
Pricing for New York
New York is Tier A
The most expensive rental markets, where a bad lease costs the most. Every city in a tier costs the same, and the fee is published before you start.
Verify
Check a listing you found- In-person visit by a local scout
- Video walkthrough
- Area report
- Scam check
Starter
Full home search- Personal shortlist
- Viewings with video
- Lease negotiation & review
- Handover & keys
- Milestone-protected payment
Premium
Home search + full setup- Everything in Starter
- Bank, SIM & registration
- Utilities & internet
- Healthcare & school search
- First-week orientation
Your Insidoor in New York is already there.
Tell us when you arrive, your budget and who's coming with you. We'll introduce you to someone who has lived in New York for years, within 48 hours.
Get matched in New York