long island for first time new yorker???? (Huntington, Levittown: rentals, condos)
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Will i get in trouble if i rent an illegal apt and how can i find out if it's illegal??? I read on a couple of threads that brokers were the ones that showed the tenant the apt in the first place. BTW you are completely right about cali alot of people think wilshire blvd is a place to go and look for stars or has all the nice shopping dont get me wrong it is nice. What they dont know is wilshire turns into compton and believe me you are in a completely different world. Thats what i dont want!!! If a neighborhood is nice i would prefer it to stay that way for at least 10 or 20 miles not switch up every other block. How long is the commute to the city from bayside that sounds like what im looking for. Thanx for you input!!!!!
I can't recall any tennents getting into trouble, occasionally I heard stories about land lords having some issues, but I do not believe it is extremely common. It is sort of ignored.
It's been a while since I lived in Bayside, but I used to catch an express and it was,15 maybe 20 minutes. Often I would drive in when working nights since parking wasn't an issue then.
What about huntington station??? I saw some cute apts. there. It actually seems to be safe everywhere in l.i. Am i being stupid for thinking this??? The thread I saw earlier was about a basement that got flooded and the landlord would'nt do anything about it turns out this guy got it from a broker. The other story I saw was some lady tried to get an apt and the broker seemed hesitant and the lady felt it was cuz of her skin color. The broker ended up giving it to a a lighter skinned person. Someone in that post said the broker could have been in on some sort of side deal. Is this common or are these just random stories??? People will see me and see a fool coming!! I never negociate when it comes to these things i just say ok and sign. It seems like long island would be ok for me though it doesnt sound like a place where people will be out to get you like in the city!!!
Here's one thing I found from living in several 'apartments' in houses (probably all were illegal). The neighbors don't like it if you live there and rent, specifically if you are in a nice area with mostly one family homes.
They feel such apartments 'bring down' the neighborhood, while the landlord may be renting to help pay his mortgage or taxes.
As far as 'being safe' overall most of Long Island is 'quite safe' as long as you avoid 'dives' and bad parts of town.
Just keep your eyes open when it comes to signing a lease. Also, if your landlord is an absentee one, you have to be wary. Make sure you can get in touch with him or her for repairs/problems/whatever.
Don't be naive...you need to have the NY attitude and be suspicious...
Can i get evicted without warning??? This would be my biggest fear. I live in san francisco now back with my mom. But i used to live in l.a. which is 5 hrs away if anything ever happend I always had my family but in n.y. im on my own which is fine but i want to make sure i do things the right way so i dont get stuck or homeless!!!
Can someone please tell me where a single woman can live alone and be safe on long island for under a $1000.00. A studio is fine!! I will also be commuting to new york for work. I heard that there is alot of illegal renting on L.I. such as basement rentals why are they illegal? And can someone please please explain why people use brokers in new york to rent. Im from california and we just join a rental website for 6 months and you have an apartment. Is a broker necessary??? One final question how come all the apts in new york (all areas) have hardwood floors?? Does't it get cold not having carpeting?? Sorry so many questions but i just want to know what I will be getting myself into!!! Thank you so much!!!
Hey there,
Okay.. well basement apartments are probably deemed "illegal" because the government would like to get extra tax dollars from someone IF they were using the basement as an apartment (like they don't get enough). Also, it's probably due to trying to keep out certain elements and renting to people with children who wil use the SD but won't be contributing to the school taxes. I think it's also a safety issue, as a basement may be a little more difficult to get out of if there is a fire...
HOWEVER..there are a lot of illegal basement (and for that matter, in a cape situation you can have a second floor rental situation ) that exist because a lot of families are renting out their "extra space" to help pay for their extremelhy high taxes and mortgags (because median price here is sooo high). As well as other very high expenses lving here (utilities, etc). A lot of young single or even young couples rent out an illegal apartmetn because it is more affordable than an actual rental in a complex, which can get seriously pricey becasue there isn't many available (we have a rental availability issue).
The ones that are illegal should not be listed in MLS through a realtor and you will find those apts on Craigs list and in the local papers including Newsday. The legal landlords like to use agents because when you rent through an agent you have to pay not only teh deposit but 1 month fee to the agent that is renting you the apartmetn. So.. anyone who is , let's say renting a hosue for $2100, has to come up with first, last and then agent fee (and sometimes an addition security) .. roughly $6,000 up front. If your renter can come up with that money at the initial rental, then you know that the renter is probably pretty financial secure. Also, agents will run credit checks and pre-approve the tennant. The laws in NY are rough on landlords should they end up with a tennant that isn't paying the rent.. as it takes FOREVER to get rid of a non paying tennant through the courts. That is not to say that you can't find a rental that is legal without an agent.
As for the hardwood floors.. couldn't tell you accept that that is what's "in" right now for people even buying homes. Carpets get mangy, very dirty and are hader to clean for when the tennant moves out/ and the next one in. Wood floors are easier to maintain and keep nice. .. atleast that's what I think it is.
Can someone please tell me where a single woman can live alone and be safe on long island for under a $1000.00. A studio is fine!! I will also be commuting to new york for work. I heard that there is alot of illegal renting on L.I. such as basement rentals why are they illegal? And can someone please please explain why people use brokers in new york to rent. Im from california and we just join a rental website for 6 months and you have an apartment. Is a broker necessary??? One final question how come all the apts in new york (all areas) have hardwood floors?? Does't it get cold not having carpeting?? Sorry so many questions but i just want to know what I will be getting myself into!!! Thank you so much!!!
Many home owners try to get around the law with putting apartments that are illegal into their homes so they don't have to pay the increase in property taxes that comes with the addition. A good signal as to whether the apartment is legal or not is whether you have your own electric meter.
Many home owners try to get around the law with putting apartments that are illegal into their homes so they don't have to pay the increase in property taxes that comes with the addition. A good signal as to whether the apartment is legal or not is whether you have your own electric meter.
It's not so much trying to get away from paying taxes.. as it is trying to find somethign to help pay their already super high taxes .. cost of living on LI is way out of hand.. a lot are doing it just to survive!
Can i get evicted without warning??? This would be my biggest fear. I live in san francisco now back with my mom. But i used to live in l.a. which is 5 hrs away if anything ever happend I always had my family but in n.y. im on my own which is fine but i want to make sure i do things the right way so i dont get stuck or homeless!!!
I don't think you'll get evicted.. unless you 're a real awful tennant. and hopefully the landloard will give you notice should they decide to no longer rent and use the space themselves. I think if you establish residency someplace, ala getting your mail there, it will be hard for them to just throw you out.. NY has pretty tough laws in that regard..
Most likely they will give you sufficient time to find another rental shoud they require you to move.. but if they are being real jerks about it you could always threaten to report them..
for the most part most of my friends who have ever rented from someones illegal apt have never had problems.. as long as everyone involed is curteous and respectful it works out just fine.
I really find all this very helpful!!! So thank you very much. I see alot of those basement apts. on craigslist and they look so much bigger than your average apt. They all seem to have carpet and a parking space for free as well!!!! I believe what im going to do is pay 4 to 5 months rent up front so i have time to get settled and learn the easiest commute process for me and basically learn the city i will be living. Is long island city the same thing as long island???
I really find all this very helpful!!! So thank you very much. I see alot of those basement apts. on craigslist and they look so much bigger than your average apt. They all seem to have carpet and a parking space for free as well!!!! I believe what im going to do is pay 4 to 5 months rent up front so i have time to get settled and learn the easiest commute process for me and basically learn the city i will be living. Is long island city the same thing as long island???
No Long Island City is NOT NY City.. I believe it's right on Queens, LI border. I'm not that familiar, but I do not believe it is the best area. You want to be close to the LIRR right? YOu will be working in NYC?
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