1.4%
The city's rental vacancy rate in its 2023 housing survey, the lowest since 1968.
If this building were the city's rental market, 7 of its 500 apartments would be empty.
- Rented
- Empty
Source: NYC HPD
The NYC renting playbook, 2026-27 edition
Find your NYC apartment without overpaying.
Start with our free guide summary: New York's rules, money, and red flags at a glance. When you're ready, get a plan built around your budget, commute, and move date.
Every rule dated and sourced. Checked September 29, 2026.
- Security deposit One month's rent, max
- Screening fee $20 max per check
- Broker fee $0 when the landlord hired the agent
Photo: Malia Moore / Unsplash
Rules checked against official sources, including
- NYC HPD
- NYC Comptroller
- NY State Senate
- NY Department of State
- NYC Commission on Human Rights
- FTC
The market
Why renting in NYC feels impossible
$4,150
The median asking rent in September 2026.
Source: StreetEasy
$5,862
The average upfront broker fee renters avoided in the first year of the FARE Act.
Source: StreetEasy
The plan
Three steps from budget to keys
Know your numbers.
Set a budget landlords will approve and you can actually live with.
Search smart.
Read listings, spot scams, and check buildings before you tour.
Apply first.
Walk in with your documents ready and apply the same day.
Examples for a made-up renter earning $85,000 a year, under the 40x income guideline (Brick Underground).
The FARE Act, in effect since June 11, 2025
One question to ask every agent
Who hired you, and is there any fee for me?
In New York City, whoever hires the broker pays the broker. The answer tells you whether a fee is yours.
Know the caps
What you can be charged at signing
New York limits the cash a landlord can ask for. Know these numbers before you hand anyone money.
Security deposit: one month, max
No more than one month's rent, returned within 14 days of move-out with an itemized list of any deductions.
Screening fee: $20, max
For a background or credit check: $20 or the actual cost, whichever is less. Waived if you bring your own from the past 30 days.
Broker fee: only if you hired one
If the landlord hired the agent, the landlord pays.
Signing day, a $3,600 apartment
- First month's rent
- $3,600
- Security depositOne month's rent, max
- $3,600
- Background check$20 max per check
- $20
- Broker feeThe landlord hired the agent
- $0
Total at signing$7,220
Example: a made-up apartment with one applicant. Any other fee must be disclosed in the listing.
Three ways in
Start free. Go further when you're ready.
The Guide
FreeA free summary of all ten chapters, from budget to keys, plus the 10-document checklist. Every rule is dated and sourced.
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Questions
FAQ
Straight answers about what we do, and what we don't.
Still wondering about something? Email [email protected].
Educational, not legal advice.
Is this legal advice?
No. Rentaissance NYC is educational. We explain general New York rules and cite the official sources. For help with your own situation, contact 311, the agency we point you to, or a tenant attorney.
Do you list apartments or act as a broker?
No. We don't list apartments, sell listings, or act as a broker. You pay for the plan itself, never for listings or introductions, and brokers, landlords, and listing sites never pay us. Your Apartment Plan gives you the filters to use on StreetEasy and Zillow for your budget and neighborhoods, plus NYC Housing Connect for affordable-housing lotteries, and you run the searches yourself, free. We never tell you which apartments are available, run waitlists, or negotiate leases.
How current is the information?
Every rule in this edition was checked on September 29, 2026, and each one is dated and sourced. The guide includes a fact-check log, and we update the guide when rules change.
Who is this for?
New grads, people relocating for work, international students, and New Yorkers who haven't rented since the broker-fee rules changed in 2025. If you're renting in NYC and want a clear plan, it's for you.
What's the difference between the guide and the Apartment Plan?
The free summary gives you the key rules from each chapter of the guide. The full guide teaches the whole process step by step, and it comes with Plan + AI Chat. The Apartment Plan applies it all to you: from your intake answers, we work out your max rent and move-in cash, pick neighborhoods that fit your budget and commute, give you the search settings to use, and map your timeline.
Is my plan written by AI?
An AI model drafts each plan from your answers and our sourced research. A person reads every plan and checks every number before it's sent.
What is the AI chat?
Plan + AI Chat adds 60 days of chat with an AI assistant that answers from our dated, sourced research. Ask about fees and rules, paste a listing for a second look, or have it draft a message to an agent. It's an AI, not a lawyer or a broker, it has no apartment listings, and it allows up to 40 messages a day.
How do I get the guide and my plan?
The free summary arrives by email as soon as you sign up. After you buy, your receipt links to a short intake form (and, with Plan + AI Chat, the full guide to download), and your plan arrives by email within 1 business day of your answers.
Can this guarantee I'll get an apartment?
No one can promise that. The guide and your plan help you set the right budget, avoid costly mistakes and scams, and apply faster with a complete application.
Do you offer refunds?
Yes. Before you send your intake, you can get a full refund within 30 days of buying. After we send your plan, you have 7 days to tell us what isn't useful: we'll revise it, and if it still isn't useful, refund you in full. One refund per customer. See our refund policy for details.
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Start with the free summary
The key rules from every chapter of the guide, from budget to keys, plus the 10 documents to have ready before you tour and New York's rules on deposits, screening fees, and broker fees.
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