Moving to NY for my first job... will I be able to qualify for an apartment? (New York: rent)

[newtonyc1]

Hello, everyone! I've been a lurker here for a while and finally decided to register and write my first post I ran some searches but couldn't really find anything that fit my situation...

I'm moving to New York in about a month and a half for my first "real" job. I'm a little nervous about applying for an apartment because of all the rules regarding documentation you have to provide. I'm sure I can get my company to give me some sort of employment verification including my start date, but this start date will be a few weeks AFTER my desired move-in date. Also, I've read that landlords/management companies require recent paystubs and the previous year's tax returns on top of employment verification - but as this will be my first job, I have zero income reported last year as well as no recent paystubs to show.

Will I not be able to qualify for apartment because of this, or will a letter from my company showing my salary and start date suffice? For what it's worth, I think that my annual salary will be well over 40-50x what I'm looking to spend on monthly rent (I'll be a lawyer at a large law firm and am looking for a place in the $2500-$3000 a month range). Also, I have about $20,000 saved up in my bank account from some previous stuff, although I'd prefer not to have to give a larger-than-normal security deposit.

If I need a guarantor, how strict is the rule that the person co-signing needs to make 80 times the monthly rent? To be honest, I don't know anyone who makes that much money... my family is kind of poor and all my friends are my age. I have a few friends from law school who have already been working for a while, but they make the same amount as me, which is definitely less than 80 times the rent I'm looking to spend. If I use one of these friends as a guarantor, does that mean that I'll just have to find a cheaper place?

Finally, if I don't qualify or if I can't get the guarantor situation to work out, do you think a landlord/management company might approve me if I offer to pre-pay the first 2-3 (or 4...) months of rent? I'd rather do this than give a large security deposit...

Thanks so much for any insight and wisdom!!!!!!

[TurtleCreek80]

As long as you have an employment verif letter stating your annual salary is 40x monthly rent AND you have enough cash saved to pay for 1st month's rent/ security deposit of 1 month's rent/ broker fee (if applicable), you should have no problems.

[loratliff]

TurtleCreek is right, per usual. You shouldn't have any issues.