• Rent Coach

    Straight up answers to your NYC renting questions

    Latest "Rent Coach" Articles

Rent Coach: My landlord is threatening to keep my deposit if I smoke inside. Is that allowed?

by Mike Akerly | 2/27/14 - 9:59 AM

Q. I'm about to rent an apartment, but the lease states that if I smoke inside, the landlord can keep my security deposit. Is that legal?

A. A landlord could include...

Rent Coach: What?! My landlord blindsided me with move-in fees!

by Mike Akerly | 2/13/14 - 2:24 PM

Q. I'm planning to rent an apartment in Queens. Now that I've signed the lease, the landlord says I have to pay a move-in fee right now and put down a deposit when I move out.  Our lease...

Rent Coach: Do I need to let my landlord in to fix a problem even if I'm moving out?

by Mike Akerly | 1/31/14 - 12:43 PM

Q. My bedroom ceiling has leaked and plaster has collapsed six times in two years.  My landlord wants me to clear out all my possessions (again) so they can repaint and plaster (again)...

Rent Coach: What is "preferential" rent?

by Mike Akerly | 1/16/14 - 12:51 PM

Q. I noticed that my lease shows the "legal" rent and "preferential" rent, which is significantly lower than the legal rent and the amount that the landlord is offering to rent the...

Rent Coach: Should I insist on getting a copy of my signed lease BEFORE I move in?

by Mike Akerly | 1/02/14 - 1:21 PM

Q. I recently signed an apartment lease and paid first month’s rent, the security deposit, and a broker’s fee.  There are renovations being completed now but I should be moving in within...

Rent Coach: Are brokers more willing to negotiate their fees in the winter?

by Mike Akerly | 12/19/13 - 1:29 PM

Q. I'm planning on moving to a new rental this winter. I'd really like to avoid paying a broker fee or, at the very least, negotiate down from 15 percent. During the slow months, how...

Rent Coach: We want to move out early and find new tenants, but the landlord wants to sell instead of re-rent. Who's responsible?

by Mike Akerly | 12/05/13 - 12:50 PM

Q. My wife and I have rented a condo for nearly two years as good tenants.  We are expecting our first child at the end of January so decided we needed to move into a larger space before...

Rent Coach: We broke our lease, found new tenants and the landlord blew them off. Why are we still on the hook?

by Mike Akerly | 11/22/13 - 1:01 PM

Q. My wife and I recently broke our lease after a job change that required a move. Our landlord informed us that there would be an $800 fee involved and that we would be responsible for...

Rent Coach: The management company is making me pay a broker fee for an apartment I found through the super. Is that legal?

by Mike Akerly | 11/07/13 - 12:44 PM

Q. A friend of ours told my wife and I about an opening in their building and gave us the number of their super. We called him, he showed us the apartment, we loved it, and told him we...

Rent Coach: Do I really need a guarantor in order to renew my lease?

by Mike Akerly | 10/24/13 - 12:18 PM

Q. Can the building management for my apartment keep insisting that I have a guarantor after seventeen years of good tenancy?   If so, and if I can no longer use this guarantor...

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