What Documents Are Needed To Rent An Apartment in NYC
Getting all your documents and paperwork together to rent a NYC apartment is not easy. When I was a real estate agent working with renters, renters asked me what documents were needed to apply to an apartment. I would always tell them to bring 6 documents (paperwork) with them. Most landlords do not ask for all of them. But all landlords will ask for a subset of this documents, and very few landlords will ask for paperwork NOT on this list so if you bring all 6 documents, you should be covered.
NOTE: To search for NYC apartments, go to frele.com (free service). Or, click for more rental tips.
In New York City, good apartments go fast. What holds a good apartment is generally not money (i.e. a deposit), but rather submitting a “completed” application, which means it includes all of your paperwork. If you bring these 6 documents, you should be able to pounce and rent quickly when you see that perfect apartment!
If You Have These 6 Documents, You Are Covered.
- Photo ID. A copy of your photo ID. This proves you are who you say you are.
- Letter of Employment. This letter of employment document is written and signed by your employer. It shows your current salary, position, and how long you were employed. Landlords use this to confirm your employment and salary.
- Tax Returns. Landlords usually just want to see the first two pages of your most recent Federal Tax Returns. Some landlords will ask for the most recent two years of tax returns. This confirms that what you are telling the government is consistent with what you are telling the landlord. Sometimes people who have their own business get in trouble here because they use the revenue of their business as their salary, when in fact, after expenses, they are earning a lot less. For those who are self-employed, your adjusted gross income is generally what landlords are focused on.
- Landlord Reference Letter. A landlord reference letter is a letter from your current landlord and confirms that you are in good standing with your current landlord. It should also confirm your monthly rent, your current address, and how long you have been living in your current apartment.
- Pay Stubs. Bring a copy of your last two pay stubs. This confirms that you are still employed and confirms what your weekly or monthly take home pay is.
- Bank Statement. You should bring a copy of your most recent bank statement, preferably a checking account where you have most of your transactions. Some landlords ask for more than just the most recent statement. Landlords use this to see what kind on balances you keep and how you spend your money. This is something most landlords do not ask for anymore, but some still do.
If you are self employed, then a CPA letter may be asked for in place of a letter of employment and pay stubs. The CPA letter serves to confirm your tax returns.
If you do not qualify on your own (i.e. you don’t make 40 times the monthly rent), then you may need a guarantor that makes 80X the monthly rent. Generally the landlord will still want as much information from you as possible so you should still try to get the 6 documents above for yourself. However, the landlord will also want to see the above paperwork from your guarantor so use this guideline above for your guarantor as well.
Either way, our free website frēlē has thousands of NYC apartments for rent to choose from. Make sure you confirm with the landlord directly or through your real estate agent if there are any special paperwork outside of these 6 suggested documents.
For more NYC rental tips, please go to frele.com/learn.
This article was written by:
Phil Horigan, NYC Real Estate Veteran
Founder, Frēlē, the free and honest NYC rental marketplace
Producer, Phil’s NYC Rental Tips [YouTube Channel]
Blogger: flowfreely.com
Instagram: @philiphorigan
Phil has been a licensed NYC real estate agent since 2004 working for some of the top real estate brokerage firms in the industry. He founded Leasebreak.com in 2013, and Frēlē in 2017. Frēlē and Leasebreak are free and transparent rental marketplaces to search for or post apartments for rent in NYC
Go to frele.com to search for NYC apartments (free service).