Apartments Shares & Roommates in NYC

One way to cut the cost of living in Manhattan is to share the expenses. If you are a student or single looking for a nice address for a reasonable amount, this may be the perfect solution. This can also be a good solution for single parents - doubling up with another single mom or dad can make living in a good school district much more affordable - and in the ideal situation you can share child rearing responsibilities.

A great resource for shares is local colleges. Stop in and check the bulletin boards. Normally, you'll find lots of leads to a room in an apartment that someone else has rented. You might also consider renting a bigger space and then looking for roommates to handle the rest of the rent.

The number one problems to look out for is deadbeat roomies. You need to have people who will come up with the rent on time or there's no point in having a roommate. You also need to clearly set up who pays for utilities and other costs.

Many people who lease an apartment will leave all of the utilities in their own name and add the charges to the rent they ask from roommates. This works for set expenses like gas and electric, but you'll still need to figure out incidentals - who pays for the toilet paper and dish detergent... and who gets to wash the floors and do the dishes.

Grungy bathrooms are often the place where apartment sharing relationships hit the skids. Make sure you know who is moving in and what they will be like to live with before you give them a key. You may feel funny laying down the law to a prospective roommate, but it's much easier to stop an incompatible person from moving in than it is to get a nightmare roommate to move out.

A signed agreement at least gives you the ability to say that everyone knew the rules from the start. Most experts advise...Never share the phone. Your roommates can get a cell phone and run up their own bill. Long distance charges add up quickly and can be difficult to collect.

The following links will lead you to lists and exchanges for roommates and shares in New York City. Midmanhattan.com does not have any affiliate relationship with these groups. We include them because we have heard good things about their service and the apartments they provide :

Craigs List New York

Easy Roommate

New York City Reference

New York Habitat Roomate Shares

Village Voice Classified Share

 

also see in NYC Apartments -> Furnished or Corporate Apartments

Roommates | Sublets | Unfurnished Apartments | Vacation Rentals