In the NYC market, international students are treated differently from national students. International students will face different challenges in renting a house in New York City. Incredibly high rents, lengthy leases, additional facilities, etc., and finding a house all at once becomes difficult to resist. As an international student, please pay attention to the following points when renting a house:

Deposit

The landlord and Real Estate Management Company will ask you to pay a deposit to ensure that you will pay the rent. If the apartment is damaged, the deposit will also be used to compensate the landlord for the loss. Most landlords and real estate management companies will require international students to pay a little more deposit. Generally speaking, the guarantee deposit is one month's rent. The deposit will be refunded after you return the keys and empty the house.

If a landlord or management company requires you to pay a deposit before viewing a room, please report them using the Report Listing on the webpage.

International Students are Different

New York does not have any laws regulating the upper limit of deposits, so landlords and real estate management companies may collect 6 months of rent as a deposit. If you say that your rent is $ 2650 a month, you likely need to prepare a deposit of $ 15,900. Remember to be mentally prepared to evaluate whether the house is worth your money as a deposit. Of course, in addition to the deposit, you can also refer to these options:

Guarantor

If you have a guarantor, note that the guarantor’s annual income must be at least 80 times the prepaid rent, but not all homeowners and management companies will accept this option. Remember to discuss it with the agent or the owner.

Required Documents

Landlords generally refer to credit, tax records, and salary certificates to determine that a tenant’s annual income is 40 times higher than the rent. If you are an international student, you probably do not have these documents. But don't worry, you can use the following files instead:

Officially Issued Identification Documents (such as passports)

The financial certificate of the admission notice sent by the school is used to confirm that you have enough budget to pay the rent. This type of financial certificate can be any financial document you use to apply for an I-20 appointment. No deposit is required to view a house. Whether you are an international student or not, an appointment to see a house does not mean that you have rented a house or signed a contract.

Heating and Water

According to New York City regulations, landlords must provide all tenants with heating and water, but there are no regulations that prohibit landlords from charging tenants based on usage. There are two types of apartments in New York City: rent-controlled and unmanaged. If you plan to rent an unmanaged apartment, note that the rent may include heating and water costs, and the landlord may also charge you another fee. To avoid possible disputes, remember to confirm with your homeowner or management company how to charge in advance.