Help finding an apartment under $1200 in the state? (New York, Buffalo: apartments, renters)

[Fai0607]

Hello everyone,

My best friend back on Long Island is having serious troubles and will lose his lease in December. He is currently paying $1,200/2 rooms in Nassau county. He lives with his two brothers and disabled mother. He is also struggling to get government aid in time (the mother had two strokes and is entirely disabled on the left side). Due to this, said friend had to cancel college applications and quit his job to act as a full-time nurse as his brothers work to the bone to make ends meet...

I couldn't find any apartment under $1200 on Long Island (or at least areas of). I'm not familiar much with Upstate at all but the family does not object moving off the island. I'll be heading to Long Island for holiday break in a week and I'm taking that month to drive my friend and his family places before they get kicked out. But we're trying to find a couple of apartments before we start driving off to Upstate.

Any advice would be lovely. The kid is my age, 18, and I hate to see them stuck or even worse--end up on the streets. Any reputable apartments site as well as location recommendations will be very appreciated. I know this is pushing it as NY is expensive to live in.

Thanks in advance!

[ckhthankgod]

You can find something Upstate: Rochester NY apartments, Buffalo apartments, Syracuse apartments, Albany NY apartments listings from The Renters Guide

[BuffaloTransplant]

What would make the friend move? If they moved, where would the income come from?

In Buffalo, an extremely nice apt. or a flat ( half a house, often 3 bedrooms) can be gotten for under $1200. However, most will not be handicap accessible and it sounds like he may be looking for that. At 18, and staying home to be his mother's nurse, he won't have an income. Where will the siblings be? Will they take out the lease in their names to guarantee payment? What income will they have if they move here?

These are all very reasonable questions that a landlord will ask -- starting with 1) who's paying and 2) what is the job [stability/salary]

I suggest your friend look into not-for-profit agencies for services for his mother -- in the Buffalo area, there are religious ones which have lots of resources. Also, he needs to check into govt. programs ( HOME Contacts: New York - HUD ) -- that goes to the US govt H.O.M.E. program. They may have resources for him. Try the County Social Services.

2 room apartments are not right for 3 siblings and a sick mother.

[millerm277]

To answer your immediate question: In Binghamton, I've seen 2-3 bedroom houses for rent in a fine area for <$1200. 1-2 bedroom apts are usually under $600 for something pretty nice. If you've got lower standards and don't mind an old place or borderline area, there's stuff as low as ~$300 a month.

If he's trying to go to college, I'd suggest he apply to Upstate SUNY schools and live off campus. Even better may be to look into Upstate community colleges that have paths/programs to transfer to the bigger name school in the same city, for saving money. (Ex: Up here, Broome CC has clear paths for being able to transfer from it to Binghamton University for many majors. Meaning there's a complete list of what courses to take to be sure every credit will transfer and all of that, and I think they get some preferential treatment with applications if they meet the school's standards).

[Ilmara]

Here's a good resource for Rochester and the surrounding area:

https://rocwiki.org/Apartments

$1200 or under gets you a nice apartment in a great neighborhood in the City of Rochester, or even a whole house.