From Sydney to NY (Howard: real estate, sublease, sublets)

[shoe_gal]

Heyy, how are you all? Firstly i would like to wish u all a Happy New Year.

I have a few questions that i hope some of you can help me with.... I live in Sydney, Australia and would like to visit NY, Manhattan, for at least one month. Has annyone from Australia been? I would just like to know how much im looking at needing financially $AU? I have been advised to rent an appartment instead of staying at a hotel for a month. Need to start saving and would like to have a amount in mind to set my goal.

Thank you so much. I dont know anyone who has been there fomr Australia for that duration of time.

Really Appreciate it.

Take Care

[Nugget]

A word of friendly advice the apartment thing can be cheaper but there are a lodge of dodgy apartments so you are going to have to spend a fair bit of money to get good accommodation in Manhattan - you might want to look at the more reputable corporate housing companies - a lot of the monthly rental apartments are illegal sublets which mean that there is the possibility that your paid for apartment won't be there.

Oakwood is one of the more reputable firms in Manhattan. Also you should be careful where you end up staying as it sounds like it is your first time and Manhattan is very different with each neighbourhood having its differences. Also you would have to look at the availability of transportation, etc.

PS - Hotels are very expensive in Manhattan - around $300 for what you would classify as being a motel like - think the Koala Inn.

[margarets1]

currently going thru a temporary move (within US) to manhattan, i can offer this suggestion. whatever financial number you have in mind, double it.

and i agree, i found there are a lot of illegal sublets, but legal subleases do exist. i guess due to the high costs of housing there, it was not too unusual that i came across places looking to sublet for 1 month (1 day, 1 week, etc). beforehand, i was not aware of the more stringent requirements (beyond credit checks, etc.) for leasing. this might be helpful to get a feel for things - Metro International: Publications i found corporate housing to be much more expensive; putting the trip over the threshold of 'do-able'.

nugget - is that $300/night? week? i know not a month.

good luck in your quest.

[Travelher]

I (illegally) have sublet my apartment three times.
No problems, but I'm an honest person.
More ppl in NYC illegally sublet rather than legally sublet.
By the time I submitted all of the paperwork to my management to sublet, the month would be over before I heard an answer.

Honesty in real estate is a huge issue in NYC, but the best advice I would give you is come here and stay in a low-cost hotel/hostel for a few nights while you look at places IN person. Do NOT do this over the internet as there are too many ppl who WILL take your money and run.
Do not give money before you have keys. Make sure these keys WORK!!
Make sure there is a contract and that you have proof this person subletting to you really lives in this apartment.

I know horror stories first hand b/c I had my apt ready to sublet to a man for one month and while going through the sublet ads on Craigslist.org, I saw my very own apartment--complete with the photos I'd sent him--listed as a nightly rental!
In other words, he was subletting the sublet!
I confronted him, kept his deposit and never heard from again.

As far as cost, I live in a large, one-bedroom, southern exposure, elevator bldg. in the East Village/Grammercy area and my rent is USD $3,200/month. Most ppl do not sublet for less or much less than their actual rent.

[Nugget]

The $300 is per night. For those who don't know the Koala Inn is very much like a Howard Johnson Express.