Independent - Comprehensive - Free
Rent smarter, not sadder.
Your entire NYC apartment hunting process in one place — listing sites, community resources, rental services, calculators, and all the stuff you need to know. Built by renters, for renters.
Market pulse
What does your rent get you?
- Sunnyside Queens · Median 1BR
- $2,700
- Park Slope Brooklyn · Median 1BR
- $3,900
- East Village Manhattan · Median 1BR
- $4,000
Source: StreetEasy. Every figure elsewhere on the site shows its own last-verified date.
See the rental market →Pick your path
Where are you in the hunt?
Everyone's on a different timeline. Start where you actually are.
I'm dreaming, not deciding
Wander NYC neighborhoods, subway lines, and the trade-offs — no pressure, no login.
Explore neighborhoods →I'm hunting seriously
Every place worth searching in one spot — marketplaces, no-fee sources, and community leads.
Find a rental →I found a place!
Pressure-test the rent, the lease, and your move-in cash before you sign anything.
Open the toolkit →Know before you rent
Guides that save you money
Plain-language explainers of the NYC rules that actually affect your wallet — each linked to its official source.
Is your apartment rent-stabilized?
About a million NYC apartments are — and it changes your rent increases and renewal rights.
Read guide →The FARE Act & broker fees
Who pays the broker now, and what a landlord can still charge you before you sign.
Read guide →Getting your deposit back
The one-month cap, the 14-day return window, and what counts as ordinary wear and tear.
Read guide →Good Cause Eviction, explained
Who's covered, what a “reasonable” rent increase means, and the many exemptions.
Read guide →What you can be charged to apply
The $20 background-check cap — and how to skip the fee entirely.
Read guide →Heat & hot water rules
When heat season starts, the legal minimums, and how to file a 311 complaint.
Read guide →Neighborhood spotlight
Start somewhere
Explore details about what each neighbor has to offer.
Queens
Astoria
$3,150Median 1BR
Greek heritage alongside an increasingly broad international food scene; nightlife, prewar apartments, rowhouses, and waterfront parks with Manhattan views
Queens
Long Island City
$4,450Median 1BR
New high-rise waterfront living with older industrial blocks, arts institutions, and some of the shortest subway trips from Queens to Midtown
Brooklyn
Williamsburg
$4,800Median 1BR
One of Brooklyn’s most active neighborhoods for dining, nightlife, music, and waterfront living, with everything from loft buildings to luxury towers
Brooklyn
Crown Heights
$3,450Median 1BR
Stretching along Eastern Parkway with brownstones, large apartment buildings, Caribbean and Jewish cultural communities, and easy access to Prospect Park and major museums
Manhattan
Harlem
$3,300Median 1BR
Landmark brownstones, major Black cultural institutions, busy 125th Street, neighborhood parks, and housing that ranges from walk-ups to new developments
Manhattan
Washington Heights
$2,750Median 1BR
Dominican cultural life, dense prewar apartments, dramatic Hudson River topography, and access to Fort Tryon Park and the Cloisters
Bronx
Riverdale
$2,800Median 1BR
One of the Bronx’s leafiest and most topographically dramatic neighborhoods, with large homes, apartment towers, Hudson River views, and Metro-North access
Staten Island
Stapleton
An older North Shore neighborhood with historic commercial blocks, hillside homes, waterfront redevelopment, and a short Staten Island Railway trip to the ferry
Try it now
Renter tools, right here
Two of the toolkit's tools, live on this page. The rest live in the full toolkit.
What can I afford?
Drag to a target rent and (optionally) add your income.
Landlords commonly look for income around $100,000/yr (a ~40× convention, not a law).
This is a planning estimate, not a landlord requirement.
Move-in checklist
The essentials before you hand over any money.
Move-in day
Line up the logistics
Moving companies, storage options, renters insurance and more. All the essentials you'll need before day one.
Piece of Cake Moving & Storage
Flat-fee residential moving, packing and storage.
NYC · New Jersey · the Tri-State area · long-distance available.
Public Storage
Large self-storage chain with climate-controlled and vehicle options.
All five NYC boroughs · nearby metro locations · including Jersey City.
Lemonade
App-first renters insurance with online quotes and claims.
New York · New Jersey · including NYC · commuter markets.
Know your rights
The law is on your side more than you think
A few protections every NYC renter should know before signing.
$20
Max application / background-check fee
1 mo.
Security deposit cap
14 days
Deadline to return your deposit
$0
Landlord's broker fee you owe (FARE Act)
Banned
Tenant blacklisting for past cases
311
Report no heat, hot water, or repairs
Sources: NYS Housing Stability & Tenant Protection Act (2019); NYC FARE Act (2025); NYC 311. General information, not legal advice.
Questions
Top questions from our FAQ.
Do you list apartments?
No. AptHunt doesn't host its own listings or take broker kickbacks. We point you to every place worth searching — marketplaces, no-fee sources, and community groups — and help you decide between them.
Is it free?
Yes, completely. There's no account to create and nothing to pay.
Is this legal or tax advice?
No. We summarize public rules and link to official sources, but rules change and individual situations vary — always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional.
How current is the information?
Sourced facts show a verified date and a link to the official source. Anything we don't yet have a source for is left blank or marked “Info to come” rather than guessed.
Ready when you are.
No account, no cost, no catch. Start with wherever you are in the hunt.