When should I begin my search?

You should begin your search approximately four to six weeks prior to your moving date. Apartments are rarely available more than six weeks ahead of their lease commencement date.

Question What are Rent Stabilized buildings/Apartments?

Rent stabilized apartment buildings are those buildings whose rent is regulated by the city and state of New York. Yearly rent increases are usually only 2% to 4% and once you secure a rent stabilized apartment, you have the right to renew your lease indefinitely. Most brownstones and townhouses with more than four units, as well as the older tenement and elevator buildings in the city, fall into this category and are owned by small and medium size landlords. Since ArdorNY.com deals with many small to medium size landlords, a considerable portion of our apartment inventory consists of rent stabilized apartments. You have a better chance at finding an affordable rent stabilized apartment through ArdorNY.com than through any other real estate company in the city!

How much is your broker's fee?

We do not charge for any information provided on our website or for viewing actual apartments with the help of one of our agents. You’ll pay us a broker’s fee ONLY if you rent an apartment through ArdorNY.com. For unfurnished apartments with one or two year leases, we charge 15% of the annual rent (for our Furnished/Short Term rental fees click here). A considerable portion of our inventory (currently about 15%) consists of “No Fee” apartments. Ask our agents about such possibilities or simply browse our database; “No Fee” apartments are indicated as such in our system.

Prospective renters seek our services for two reasons:

• They want to find a good deal that will amount to considerable savings in the long run. While you may be able to find a “No Fee” apartment, we can often get you that apartment for considerably less monthly rent with a fee. This will amount in long term savings that you would not find without our services.
• They want to save the time and efforts often wasted when trying to find and close on an apartment in NYC. This process can be both frustrating and fruitless without the guidance and knowledge of a licensed real estate agent.

For additional reasons to use our services, see "Renter Services?".

What are the "No Fee" services?

Most of the apartments you see listed as “No Fee” on the internet or in newspapers are actually listed via a flat fee agency. You cannot obtain any information from these agencies unless you first pay a flat fee, which allows you to access their database. Usually their fees range from $50 to $250, even though in most cases they can legally charge no more than $15 for this type of service (see ). A very small percentage of the subscribers to these services actually rent their apartments this way. Most of these companies provide little support to their clients in the way of staff, as they operate entirely as internet-information agencies, and are therefore unable to provide agent expertise to help you navigate your way through the rental process. Frequently, the information obtained from these agencies is, unfortunately, unreliable and outdated, making the prospect of renting an apartment by utilizing flat fee agency all the more unlikely.

How can I find a "No Fee" apartment?

Some apartments are offered for no fee by their landlords or brokers. Usually these are the most expensive apartments on the market. Most “No Fee” apartments are found in high-rise, doorman buildings and/or newly constructed buildings. Typically, these are offered with no fee due to the sheer size of the buildings. These apartments are usually priced fairly- not a great deal, but not a bad one, either.

ArdorNY.com occasionally represents certain landlords and buildings that offer their apartments for no fee. Most of our no fee apartments are in luxury doorman buildings and are priced at or above $2000/month. Our fee is paid by the landlord so that we can provide our services to you entirely free of charge.

Of course, not all of the no fee apartments are found in doorman buildings . Some landlords of elevator or walk up buildings advertise their apartments as no fee on the internet or in newspapers. As a rule, these are typically the worst deals you can find. The landlords go out of their way to avoid any “additional” cost to the tenant (like a broker’s fee) but have instead substantially increased the monthly rent on their apartments. In short, a fairly priced apartment with a broker’s fee will likely cost LESS money in the end than a no fee apartment in an elevator or walk up building.

I have a pet. Is that a problem?

If you have a dog it will narrow your selection of apartments down to about 15% of what is currently available. A cat is generally not a problem.

Aside from rent stabilized buildings, what other types of apartment buildings are predominant in NYC?

Rental buildings: These are usually full service, modern, doorman buildings. Their rents are typically high (always at market level) and yearly rent increases can be considerable, depending on market conditions, because these types of buildings are run by big corporations trying to maximize their profits. At ArdorNY.com, we get listings and have access to almost all of the rental buildings in the city.

Co-op and condo buildings: These are usually full service buildings. The units are owned by individual owners who are often not familiar with the market. It is quite possible to get a really good deal in a co-op or condo building. The drawback is that you may have to meet with their co-op board. This process can take over a month and requires the applicant to undergo a very rigorous screening. Moreover, many co-ops forbid lease renewals, which means you have to go apartment hunting after the expiration of the first term of your lease. As such, we are very selective about the co-op buildings we deal with due to their frequent inflexibility and arbitrary rules.