If you have already found a place to live and need one or more roommates to share the rent and utilities, or if you still haven't found a place to live and want to connect with people looking to share their place, you can access the Off-Campus Housing Office Registry and find your new roommate.

The Roommate section of the Housing Registry lists other students who are looking for roommate(s), and allows students to post their own profiles.

Craigslist and The Village Voice also have weekly "Roommates Wanted" listings. For other resources see our list of "Sources" or visit our Resources page .

Found a roommate? Create your own Roommate Agreement by logging in to NYU Home, accessing the Housing Registy, and selecting the Roommates option. Sample leases and agreements are also available at the Off-Campus Housing Office.

1. Log in to NYU Home.

2. Click on the Research or NYU Life tab in the menu bar above.

3. Click the link to the Housing Registry under the heading "Off-Campus Housing" on the lefthand side.

Lifestyle

• Age
• Sexual orientation
• Quiet/social
• Pet/no pet
• Smoker/nonsmoker
• Morning person/night owl
• Study habits
• Drinking habits
• Diet
• Other issues particular to you

Apartment

• Number of roommates you are willing to have share the space
• Size (studio, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom)
• Rent payments
• Location/neighborhood
• Number of bathrooms
Download
a Roommate Agreement,
Roommate Questionnaire,
or an Apartment Checklist
in the Downloads section of this website.
• Amount of storage space/number of closets
• Common space
• Layout of the space (e.g., Do you have to go through a bedroom to get to the bathroom?)

• Study habits and the expected study environment.
• Friends/family visiting and staying overnight.
• Cleaning the common spaces (e.g., bathroom, kitchen), including sweeping, dusting, etc.
• Will you share food and shopping responsibilities?
• What are the expectations in a roommate relationship? Are you looking for a friend, someone to do things with, or just someone to share your space and expenses? How similar or different are your roommate's expectations?
• Is your roommate financially secure? Ask to see a credit report if you are not sure.
• Is it possible to sign separate leases? This way, each roommate is responsible for his or her share of the rent.

"In today's tight housing market one way to make your income meet the rent is to have a roommate.

• If you are the only person who has signed the lease, in addition to your immediate family, state law allows you to have one roommate (i.e. an occupant of the apartment who has not signed the lease). Your roommate's dependent children are also permitted.

  Any lease provisions disallowing a roommate (and dependent children) are illegal. If your lease originally had two or more tenants you may have an additional roommate or roommates provided that the total number of tenants and occupants (excluding occupant's dependent children) does not exceed the number of tenants on the original lease. For example, if three tenants signed the original lease and one moves out, you may have a roommate to replace the departed tenant.

• If your apartment is rent stabilized, you may only charge your roommate(s) a "proportionate" share of your rent. A proportionate share is determined by dividing the legal regulated rent by the total number of tenants named on the lease and the total number of occupants in the apartment - not including the tenant's spouse, family members or the roommate's dependent children. For example, if you live with your spouse and two children and only your name is on the lease, and you have a roommate who has one child, only you and the roommate are recognized for the purpose of calculating a proportionate share of the rent. You may therefore charge the roommate up to 50% of the rent.
• Check your roommate's background thoroughly. If you don't get along, and your roommate refuses to leave, you do have the right to evict your roommate. However, if the roommate refuses to leave, the ensuing eviction process could be both painful and expensive. Remember, until the eviction process is complete you may have to live with this person.
• If you join someone as a roommate (i.e. your name isn't on the lease) another set of problems can crop up. In most instances, if your roommate (the leaseholder) leaves, you have no right to keep the apartment. The primary tenant might also decide to temporarily sublet to someone, in which case you will suddenly have a new house-mate not of your choosing.

What precautions can you take?

• If you are the leaseholder, be careful about choosing a roommate.
• If you join someone as a "roommate," try to find out as much as possible about the primary tenants' plans. Try to "get on the lease" if possible. If this isn't possible, your rights are very limited and your ability to stay in the apartment may be cut short at any time.

Can I get my unpleasant roommate's name off the lease we both signed?

• If your roommate is named on the lease, s/he is technically a co-tenant, and has the same rights as you do to the apartment.
• If the apartment is not rent regulated, you are free to renegotiate with the landlord to have a new lease naming you as the sole tenant. However, so can your co-tenant. The owner is not under any obligation to renew your lease, rent it solely to you, or to renew it with the same names unless the current lease specifically states so.
• If the apartment is rent stabilized, the primary tenants named on the lease BOTH have the right of renewal. If you wish to have a new lease naming you only, you should get the co-tenant's consent (in writing). The owner may not pick sides and renew to only one of the current named tenants without consent of the other."

*Above text quoted directly from the NYC Rent Guidelines Board.