What renters must pay upfront, lease renewals for pandemic newcomers, & more

By Austin Havens-Bowen | April 15, 2022 - 1:30PM

This week readers visited Brick Underground to brush up on what New York City landlords can ask renters to pay upfront: Gone are the days of "first, last, and security" thanks to the 2019 rent reforms. Landlords can only request first month's rent and a security deposit that cannot exceed the equivalent of one month's rent.

Also of interest: Brick checked in with five newcomers who moved to NYC during the pandemic to take advantage of steep rent discounts to see what happened at lease renewal time.

Here are this week's top five posts:

1) Can a landlord ask for first and last month’s rent plus a security deposit?

2) One year later: Checking in with the NYC newcomers who had steep rent discounts

3) NY State budget has $25 billion for housing—here's where it will be spent

4) Why we moved from Milan to Roosevelt Island: To live near Manhattan and enjoy a close-knit community

5) New money and suburban-style living: A look at what's fueling the fever for NYC luxury penthouses

Austin Havens-Bowen

Staff Writer

Staff writer Austin Havens-Bowen covers the rental market and answers renters' questions in a column called Realty Bites. He previously reported on local news for the Queens Ledger and The Hunts Point Express in the Bronx. He graduated from Hunter College with a BA in media studies. He rents a one-bedroom apartment in Astoria with his boyfriend and their two cats.

SEE MORE BY Austin Havens-Bowen »

Brick Underground articles occasionally include the expertise of, or information about, advertising partners when relevant to the story. We will never promote an advertiser's product without making the relationship clear to our readers.