Furnished or Unfurnished
In most cases accommodation in New York will be furnished. Finding unfurnished apartments will take some effort, but there is more available if you are looking for an unfurnished house.
Rent Control and Rent Levels
Rent control functions as a price ceiling for rentals. It puts a limit on how much the landlord can increase the rental price when the tenant wishes to renew the lease. It is in effect in New York.
The general consensus on how much you should pay vs your income is that no more than a third of your annual income should be put toward your housing costs—if you’re paying more than that, you’re officially “rent burdened”—and in New York City, most landlords will only approve renters whose gross annual income is 40 times the monthly rent.
The average rent in Manhattan is now well above $3,000/month. The outer boroughs aren’t much lower with the average in Brooklyn above $3,000/month in 2019. Although it is sometimes possible to find good deals.
Property Descriptions in the US
- Single Family Homes (SFH) – detached residences for one family; usually entails a garage, driveway, as well as front and back yards; typically located in suburban areas.
- Multi Family Homes (MFH) or Semi-Detached Homes – residences that house two or more families; usually come as duplexes (for two households) or triplexes (for three households).
- Bungalows – small, square, single-story homes; typically located in suburban areas.
- Condominiums (Condos) – apartments (most typically) or houses with common areas like pool, gym, tennis court, etc.; popular in urban areas.
- Townhouses – tall and narrow buildings attached to one another with small backyards; built for inner-city living.