21Y Low Income Couple Apartment Hunting
Firstly, this is my third time apartment hunting in NYC and I am not a complete stranger to our limited and extreme niche of a market right now, so please go easy on the snark.
Me and my boyfriend who have rented together with two other roommates for 1.5 years are looking to move out independently. We feel as though we are ready for the independence and privacy (it also looks to be an especially tough market for a couple who wants to room with only one other roommate, which we were originally considering). We are willing to pay upwards of 1k each for our own studio or 1 bed, but that’s a hard limit.
It was a possibility to move with my boyfriends family, but due to timing of our leases, we need to be out of our apartment sooner than them, and it wouldn’t line up unless we lived in a hotel or airbnb’s for 3 months (which we are mildly considering at this point - I’ve searched lightly but maybe I’m searching in the right places so any help is appreciated)
Therefore, we are looking to move out around the dreaded August 1 deadline. It’s going to be difficult as hell and we’re preparing for it. We’re hoping to have around 3k each saved up and we are working on getting our credit scores to at least 650. We also have one parent each that can provide guarantor assistance (one makes 50k the other makes 120k). We are students and we work as much as we can and I’m working on picking up a second job. Our combined income would be around 220k with each of us making 25k as full time students. We’re also living in Brownsville at the moment so we’re clearly willing to live anywhere, as long as it’s affordable and not disgusting.
I guess I’m just looking for advice from people who know the market a bit better since the last time I moved (2 years ago) or anyone who is in a similar situation. Is there any other website other than street easy and Craigslist we should keep an eye on? Any certain approach or things to say when applying as a low income couple? It would also be helpful to know any new scams or things to avoid when apartment hunting with these new laws. I’ve also heard that you shouldn’t offer up your credit score if asked and only when applying, but if there’s any other information we shouldn’t or should offer up. We are wondering if renting individual rooms at 800/each in a 3 bedroom with a third roommate would be more ideal opposed to sharing a bedroom, but again, it comes down to how little people are willing to live with a young couple.
I apologize if any questions have been answered before, I’m just trying to find others who understand that we are young, in college, and trying to make ends meet without parents to live with. Thank you for reading, we appreciate it a lot and community building is the way we keep native New Yorkers in New York. 💝