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I'm having a bit of a dilemma here. I have a low log # for Lyra, and my application is due ASAP. Just before receiving my log #, I moved to the UK for a masters program, but continued to pay my rent in NYC. To qualify for the apartment, I will have to withdraw from my course and get a job in NYC ASAP, which is doable. I'd have to convince them that I still live in NYC and haven't moved away permanently, etc. I also have pay stubs from last year which show a PA address as I worked from my parent's PA home off and on through the pandemic, while paying my NYC rent. Not sure if I should drop the masters course to attempt to qualify for this building. The apartment would be a dream, but at the same time, although I don't love this course, it *might* help me professionally, although that is TBC. Anybody have any thoughts about this? It's a very NYC problem to give up an already made major plan to try to qualify for a lottery apartment, and I feel like I'm making this massive decision alone. Help please!
I'm having a bit of a dilemma here. I have a low log # for Lyra, and my application is due ASAP. Just before receiving my log #, I moved to the UK for a masters program, but continued to pay my rent in NYC. To qualify for the apartment, I will have to withdraw from my course and get a job in NYC ASAP, which is doable. I'd have to convince them that I still live in NYC and haven't moved away permanently, etc. I also have pay stubs from last year which show a PA address as I worked from my parent's PA home off and on through the pandemic, while paying my NYC rent. Not sure if I should drop the masters course to attempt to qualify for this building. The apartment would be a dream, but at the same time, although I don't love this course, it *might* help me professionally, although that is TBC. Anybody have any thoughts about this? It's a very NYC problem to give up an already made major plan to try to qualify for a lottery apartment, and I feel like I'm making this massive decision alone. Help please!
Setting aside any ethical concerns about claiming you still physically live in NYC while you don't. I don't think you'd have any trouble providing the proof of residency in NYC that they would require. As long as you can provide an active lease in your name at your NYC address and proof of rent payment there, that will be all you have to provide.
The PA pay stubs from last year should't matter as they will go by the most recent pay stubs, if these show your NYC address you should be fine. If your recent stubs still show PA, you'll have to explain why. If they show the UK, that may be an issue. In that case they would probably ask for a notarized affidavit where you verify to where your current (NYC) address and provide an explanation as to why the UK address is on your pay stubs. You would have to decide what it ethically right here.
Regarding the decision, it's hard to give advice because it depends on what you want long-term for yourself. If you see yourself in NYC long-term and were already planning to return to NYC after taking your course, then setting yourself up with a rent stabilized apartment in a luxury building would be ideal and it might be worth dropping the course to make that happen. If you are unsure if you want to stay in NYC, it might not be worth it. Also, while you have a great number for this building, the housing lottery isn't going away any time soon so you could always decide that this isn't the right move for you right now and try again in a year or longer.
With all of this said, there is no harm in moving forward with the process for Lyra, submitting docs and touring if you can. You can withdraw at any time before you sign a lease and it could take weeks or months, giving yourself more time to decide what to do. Good luck!
Setting aside any ethical concerns about claiming you still physically live in NYC while you don't. I don't think you'd have any trouble providing the proof of residency in NYC that they would require. As long as you can provide an active lease in your name at your NYC address and proof of rent payment there, that will be all you have to provide.
The PA pay stubs from last year should't matter as they will go by the most recent pay stubs, if these show your NYC address you should be fine. If your recent stubs still show PA, you'll have to explain why. If they show the UK, that may be an issue. In that case they would probably ask for a notarized affidavit where you verify to where your current (NYC) address and provide an explanation as to why the UK address is on your pay stubs. You would have to decide what it ethically right here.
Regarding the decision, it's hard to give advice because it depends on what you want long-term for yourself. If you see yourself in NYC long-term and were already planning to return to NYC after taking your course, then setting yourself up with a rent stabilized apartment in a luxury building would be ideal and it might be worth dropping the course to make that happen. If you are unsure if you want to stay in NYC, it might not be worth it. Also, while you have a great number for this building, the housing lottery isn't going away any time soon so you could always decide that this isn't the right move for you right now and try again in a year or longer.
With all of this said, there is no harm in moving forward with the process for Lyra, submitting docs and touring if you can. You can withdraw at any time before you sign a lease and it could take weeks or months, giving yourself more time to decide what to do. Good luck!
Thank you so much Lina! This is great advice, both the technical aspects and the reassurance of maybe waiting for a future lottery apartment. I do want to come back to NYC after the course, but possibly not immediately after. It's been so hard because I don't love being in the MA program, but at the same time I feel that I will have good UK contacts by the time I'm finished. It's turning down a luxury rent-stabilized apartment that has me really in knots. If I wasn't given the low log #, I would absolutely be staying no question. It's now that I have this opportunity, I'm so torn.
I'm having a bit of a dilemma here. I have a low log # for Lyra, and my application is due ASAP. Just before receiving my log #, I moved to the UK for a masters program, but continued to pay my rent in NYC. To qualify for the apartment, I will have to withdraw from my course and get a job in NYC ASAP, which is doable. I'd have to convince them that I still live in NYC and haven't moved away permanently, etc. I also have pay stubs from last year which show a PA address as I worked from my parent's PA home off and on through the pandemic, while paying my NYC rent. Not sure if I should drop the masters course to attempt to qualify for this building. The apartment would be a dream, but at the same time, although I don't love this course, it *might* help me professionally, although that is TBC. Anybody have any thoughts about this? It's a very NYC problem to give up an already made major plan to try to qualify for a lottery apartment, and I feel like I'm making this massive decision alone. Help please!
My 2 cents. IMO. My personal take.
I would go for the apartment. It's a luxury Manhattan NYC apartment that is priced way less than market rate and it's rent-stabilized. The whole point of making more money is to live in a really nice home. You have a chance for that now, even if you don't have the best job you can still live here for life.
Even with a master's degree, your chance of making enough money to live in an apartment like this in NYC is nil. I know there are doctors in my building that could only afford to live in the studio apartments.
The only con is even if you drop out and come back to NYC, the lottery apartment is not 100%. You can still maybe not qualify for whatever reason. Or the apartment could be super crappy, never know until the end.
I would definitely go through with the entire process and reevaluate after touring the unit and being offered the lease. Like others said, the process itself can take so long and who knows the apartment offered to you will probably not even be worth it to you.
Stress over the dilemma once you know exactly what you’re working with
Update : I received & signed my TIC today. The Unit number was on it as well.
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