How to find a rent-stabilized apartment in NYC

By Teri Karush Rogers | May 21, 2012 - 10:13AM

There's a reason why the folks who score rent-stabilized apartments move an average of every dozen years, versus the 4 year average of their market-rate cousins: The rents, which generally can't exceed $2,500 per month, make living in NYC more affordable for people with average incomes.

Neighborhood news site DNAinfo posted a very useful rundown today on the ins-and-outs of locating one of these apartments. It's worth a close read. Here are a few highlights:

Focus your search on neighborhoods that are stuffed to the gils with rent-stabilized apartments, including Washington Heights and Inwood in Manhattan, and Crown Heights in Brooklyn.
Most rent-stabilized units are located in buildings constructed before 1974, though some newer developments that received tax breaks have them too--but they usually start at market-rate prices.
Make sure the lease that you sign is actually a rent-stablized lease
Landlords aren't exactly fans of their rent-stabilized tenants, so before you commit to a situation you'll regret, check for a history of complaints against the landlord filed with the NYC Department of Buildings and NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

Find Your Next Place

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Feeling lucky? We found several dozen rent-stabilized apartments advertised on StreetEasy.com this morning, including the one pictured here. To search for yourself, go to Rentals, Advanced Search, check the 'Description Includes' box and type "rent-stabilized."

(DNAInfo.com; previously)

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