New York City Luxury Rental Blog

The specific numbers are different from quarter to quarter, of course, but for the most part the last few rounds of NYC rental stats  all point to the same conclusion -- the market for Manhattan rental apartments is strong, and growing stronger with each passing month. Which sounds great, of course, but has been less than great in practice for Manhattan rental apartment hunters. With vacancy rates back under one percent and rents rising slowly but steadily, all the things that made the less-than-strong NYC rental market of old so appealing for renters have become harder and harder to find. Regular readers of the Luxury Rentals Manhattan blog have probably noticed that posts like this have become something of a regular presence in this space. Gone, we note in tones of deep regret, are Manhattan rental apartments offering concessions, gone are the free months of rent and gym memberships and suchlike. Gone are the no-fee... oh wait, what's that? Some high-end new construction rental buildings are actually still offering up appealing concessions? And no-fee NYC rental listings are on the rise even though the rental market is strong and getting stronger? Must be getting cold outside. (Yes, that actually is how it works)

Ordinarily, the Luxury Rentals Manhattan "Service Corner" tag is reserved for lighter, more service-oriented posts -- which Manhattan neighborhoods offer the best selection of Chinese food, for instance. But while that sort of thing is no doubt important to dumpling enthusiasts -- and LRM readers know that we're already on the record on that issue -- it's not nearly as important as, say, not getting scammed when searching for a Manhattan rental apartment. That sort of thing is rare, but not nearly as rare as it should be, which is why we at Luxury Rentals Manhattan have a renter's guide on our site, and why we so closely vett the agents to whom we refer those interested in our NYC rental listings. Working with people you trust, especially when it comes to real estate agents, takes a lot of uncertainty and unpleasantness out of the Manhattan apartment search process. And, as a recent article in the Wall Street Journal reveals, working with people you cannot trust can take a lot of money out of your pocket. And so the Service Corner tag is revived, in the service (ha) of a much more serious post. After the jump: how not to get played.

Is it predictable? It is maybe a little predictable. But we at Luxury Rentals Manhattan would be remiss if we did not endorse Jimmy McMillan, the candidate -- and quite possibly sole member -- of The Rent Is Too Damn High party for governor of New York. In the hysterically chaotic New York State gubernatorial debate on Monday night -- imagine seven people talking over each other for an hour, only instead of it happening on the uptown 4 train, it happened in front of television cameras and everyone was wearing suits -- McMillan stood out for several reasons. There's the elaborate mustachio, visible in the adjacent picture. There were the black gloves, which McMillan chose to wear indoors for reasons he later explained to Gawker had something to do with his service in Vietnam. And of course there was his karate expertise and general Afrika Bambaataa-in-a-suit aesthetic and... honestly, you should just watch the video. Link after the jump.

Trends come and trends go, as regular readers of the Luxury Rentals Manhattan blog -- or anyone who lives in New York City -- knows. But while the ebbs and flows in the market for Manhattan rental apartments is our subject here at the LRM blog, one constant remains unspoken and, for the most part, unchallenged. And that is that living in New York City is cruelly, implausibly expensive by just about any standard. Yes, groceries cost more in Hawaii and gasoline costs more in Connecticut, but most NYC dwellers will be quick to tell you that everything costs more here in Manhattan. In the next breath, you'll hear that the reason for this is that everything is better in Manhattan, but the (presumed) fact is what it is. So it's safe to say that a recent finding by the U.S. Census is something of a mind-blower. Per the 2010 Census, New York City is not the first, second, or third-most expensive place to rent in the United States. Neither is it fourth or fifth. No, New York City is actually just the sixth-most expensive place to rent an apartment in the United States. We're number six, everyone! Pop champagne! Or... actually hold off on the champagne. Can this possibly be true?

Looks nice, doesn't it? A clean, modern subway station, a train pulling up right on time. Eventually, at some point in human history, something somewhat like the little image you see with this post will undoubtedly occur somewhere under Second Avenue on Manhattan's Upper East Side. For all the things to recommend about Upper East Side apartment listings -- and there are plenty, starting with their relative affordability in comparison to other Manhattan rental apartments -- subway access isn't currently one of them. Sure, the 4/5/6 trains on Lexington Avenue run pretty well, but they're the only trains on the Upper East Side, and can get excruciatingly crowded (and sluggish) come rush hour. News that the long-rumored, longer-awaited Second Avenue Subway was really happening was the cause of much rejoicing both among Upper East Side renters and UES landlords, whose apartments seemed poised to become that much more appealing. Today brought the sad and sadly unsurprising news, though, that the Second Avenue Subway is both behind schedule and over-cost -- and not likely to arrive in time for its original 2016 launch.