Question/any tips on being selected? (low income, apartments, rentals)

[jeremytruong]

Hey ya'll!
I've been applying to NYC housing connect opps for well over a year now but have only received one invitation to submit documents.

Do ya'll have any idea on something I may be doing wrong or if there's any tips to getting more responses?

Thank you!

[Vanta B]

Be 130% AMI or more, if not apply everything single building you might even slightly be interested in. It’s a crap shoot. Smaller buildings in less desirable places often have fewer apartments but also fewer applicant, especially if you’re on the top end of low income, say 70-80 AMI.

[JKid84NYC]

There’s no trick to it. It’s luck.. so just keep applying. I’ve been applying to these apartments for close to 15yrs and barley need both hands to count how many times I’ve even heard back.. let alone was able to go through the process. And now, this system is more popular/known than it’s ever been, and they’ve widened the salary gaps. But with rent prices continuously going up.. that means significantly more applicants

There’s a building owned by the same management im currently under, that’s literally on the same block as me and my log number was 12xxx!! Yet there’s buildings in Queens that I’ve applied to where my log number was 3xxx. It’s all a crap shoot, anyone who tells you there’s a sure fire way to get selected is lying.

Only small advice I have is to make sure your income is within the range when you submit your application. Cause even though by the time they get you, your income very well may be different, I feel like you have a better shot to get a better log number if whatever income on your application falls clear in range.

[Kiiddesire120]

Definitely apply for lotteries within your community board for CB preference.

[WildAboutHarry]

Originally Posted by jeremytruong

Hey ya'll!
I've been applying to NYC housing connect opps for well over a year now but have only received one invitation to submit documents.

Do ya'll have any idea on something I may be doing wrong or if there's any tips to getting more responses?

Thank you!

These housing lotteries should never be thought of as a plan or a solution to an individual’s housing needs. They are a gamble with many more losers than winners.

You have been applying for over a year. You could apply for over a hundred years and still not be selected to proceed further. It’s a lottery, and basically there will be tens of thousands of people not selected for each building’s lottery.

You can increase your chances by applying to more lotteries.

If you see a lottery you think you qualify for enter it even if you might make a little too much income or not quite enough income. Enter the lottery this because the income issue is not always a simple one. You might miscalculate your income, and at times the income qualification shifts a bit if the lottery takes a long time.

Always enter a lottery where you have Community Board preference and think you have about the right income. It’s good if you spend a bit of time to learn what Community Board you live in and what that means.

Ignore doubts you might have about a lottery because you don’t know the location and so on. Enter the lottery, if you are lucky and make progress with it then you can investigate location and other issues. Same thing with worrying it’s too small to enter. You will know it’s too small or not when you get a tour of a unit.

Review your profile and be sure you are signed up for ALL re rentals, all locations, elevator or not. The system might ask you would you take a unit that prohibits pets? Say Yes, even if you have a pet now because if you get called for a rerental in the future you might not have a pet then.

[Gilmoregal]

Agree with everything being said here. If you apply to one with your CB you have a much higher chance of getting a place. That or being in the 130AMI

[Ghost20]

I cannot stress enough about applying to lotteries you are just out of reach for. Income limits for AMI may change for lotteries around April. You may then qualify. Or for lotteries that takes years to fill up, your own circumstances might change and you may now qualify. I applied to my lottery even though I made slightly over and by the time I was called, the income limits changed and I was now eligible.

[ariez4490]

Originally Posted by Ghost20

I cannot stress enough about applying to lotteries you are just out of reach for. Income limits for AMI may change for lotteries around April. You may then qualify. Or for lotteries that takes years to fill up, your own circumstances might change and you may now qualify. I applied to my lottery even though I made slightly over and by the time I was called, the income limits changed and I was now eligible.

I do this too, if I'm on the border I still apply. You get a log number anyway, despite them warning you that you won't.

[NutrientRich]

I think there is some formula for assigning log numbers and not random like they would have us believe.
What else can explain why my log numbers are always in the 2*** range?

[Gilmoregal]

Originally Posted by NutrientRich

I think there is some formula for assigning log numbers and not random like they would have us believe.
What else can explain why my log numbers are always in the 2*** range?

Not going to lie like many things online I believe there is an algorithm. What that algorithm is? I dont know