Q:   "I will be attending [NYU] in the fall as a graduate student. I am anxious to secure housing in the area, and also find a roommate(s). Any information would be helpful. Do you offer student mixers to assist in the search?"

-Beth

A:   Having a roommate may seem like the ideal situation for a renter in NYC. After all, what student can afford the outrageous Manhattan rental prices by themselves? However, before you worry about color coordinating, buying snacks for study sessions, or assigning chores, there are a number of factors that must be taken into consideration when making a decision to live with a roommate.

When sharing an apartment in New York, you may encounter the following scenarios:

Renting From Someone You Don't Know
When you decide to rent a room in someone else's apartment without previously knowing them, you become a co-tenant or a roommate. A co-tenant is added to the original lease, whereas a roommate rents a specific area based on the terms agreed upon with the original tenant (tenant of record). Maria del Mar Gomez, an NYU graduate student who survived previous roommate problems advises caution when deciding to rent a room from someone you don't know. "Unless it's someone that you know or you can trace, such as a friend of a friend, it’s hard to know if the renter is legitimate or not," Gomez explains. Also, be wary of good deals. Gomez lived in a pricey apartment in SoHo, but her rent was nothing near the usual price for SoHo shares. Gomez states "If they are not asking for a normal amount of money, it could be because it is a screwy deal. That's why it's better if you know the renter. That way you don't need to be wary of really good deals." NYU student Seth Maser also ran into trouble renting from a random person who he found on CraigsList. "It was never the most comfortable situation. My roommate had been living there for seven years and dominated the entire apartment," he explains. Although Maser became a co-tenant on the lease, making him responsible for the entire lease regardless of his roommate's actions, he states "I never felt at home in a place that I was paying half the rent for." They sent their checks in separately but together covered the entire rent payment. Or so he thought.

"All of a sudden I got a notice from the landlady saying we had been delinquent in rent. I had been paying my half of the rent but I found out that my roommate hadn't been paying his. Since we were co-tenants, that made me responsible for the entire rent, and subject to eviction," states Maser. Maser's parents were the guarantor's on the lease, so their credit and finances were threatened as well. A guarantor is one who guarantees an obligation, such as the rent, and has a legal duty to fulfill it. Since Maser and his roommate were co-tenants, but Maser's parents were the only guarantors, they were legally obligated to pay the entire rent if Seth (or his roommate) did not.

"My roommate said he talked to our landlady about his inability to pay the rent and they worked out an agreement," Maser explains. "I knew that was a lie the minute I received the   eviction notice from the landlady."

Luckily for Maser, the landlady decided not to sue him. "She understood the situation, trusted the fact that I had always been on time with my part of the rent, and [pursued] only my roommate," Maser explained. He escaped from a sticky situation unharmed, but that is not always the case.

Renting With A Friend
When two people decide to rent an apartment together, and both decide to be on the lease, they become co-tenants. As mentioned, both parties are equally responsible for the lease, making either roommate fully liable. Maser left his bad situation and fortunately walked into a better one. "One of my best friends had a roommate from college who was looking to move to NYC," he explains. "Coincidentally, a lot of my high school friends had also been friends with this guy, so I knew he could be trusted." Because of all the personal references Maser had with his new potential roommate, he felt more secure in deciding to sign a lease with him. "He wasn't a random guy from Craig'sList like last time," Maser explains.

Maser and his new roommate have been living together for three years now with no major problems. "I am much happier arguing about whose turn it is to wash the dishes than worrying about being sued," he jokes. Because of sharing mutual friends, searching for an apartment together, and moving in at the same time, Maser explains that he has "never felt like [he's] living in another person's space like [he] felt every day walking into the old apartment."

Renting Out Your Own Place
You have an apartment and you decide to rent a room out to someone. As with the first scenario, you can either make your new roommate a co-tenant, where they will share liability as well rights to the apartment with you, or you can draft a written agreement, contracting your roommate (now tenant) to comply with your rental terms and expectations. In this case, you are now the landlord. If you decide before thirty days that the roommate is not a good match, getting them out is less complicated. After thirty days, your roommate will have more rights to the apartment (as a tenant) and there is a more complex process involved to legally evict them.

Neutral Third Party
Problems can arise when renting from an unknown person. The personal accounts of both Gomez and Maser attest to this. Sometimes an added security cushion can be useful. Companies and programs such as Sara's Homestay  and New York Foundation for Senior Citizens Home Sharing Program offer services where profiles of hosts and roommate seekers are matched. "We get the application from the student which includes information such as age, nationality, hobbies and particular requirements. We know that certain ages mesh well with other ages just because of shared outlooks on life. Some requirements such as wanting to practice English also have great importance in the matching process, " a representative from Sara's Homestay explains. "We know what each host is looking for, so as soon as we receive an application from a student we have a good idea of where to place them." Companies such as this aim to create the best shared environment possible for both parties by requiring an extensive application process noting expectations and requirements. However, if the match isn't successful and either party wants a change "we always switch them to another host upon their request", states Homestay's represenative.

New York Foundation for Senior Citizens (NYFSC) Home Sharing Program requires the host to be at least 60 years of age. "Most of these seniors are looking partly for company, and partly for a supplemental income to help them afford their current apartment.", states their representative. Before even beginning the process, each party must supply three professional references, and the renter must provide a verification of income. "Our quick match program automatically matches up supplemental qualities between the host and the renter. We then put the two parties in contact with each other, and they make the final decision about rooming together," NYFSC explains. NYFSC requires both parties to sign an agreement stating the conditions of their cohabitation, however it is not a lease. "Our agreements can be broken at any time if the situation doesn’t work in the eyes of either party," the representative explains. Both Sara's Homestay as well as the Home Sharing Program offer a sense of security and legitimacy in case anything in the renting process happens to go sour. By having a neutral third party matching the renter and the host, the renter can have some peace of mind about walking into a situation that has been previously assessed.

The Off-Campus Housing Office seeks to make the roommate search as easy as possible for you. Roommate Mixers are hosted throughout the year and have included Ice Cream/Ice Breakers, events at restaurants, and in the Residence Halls.

Mixers are valuable as they give students a chance to meet other NYU students who are looking for roommates. You can meet in a safe, controlled environment in a social setting and meet several people at once.

If a mixer isn't for you, you can come to our office and post an index card on our bulletin board reserved only for NYU students that states you are interested in finding a roommate. The card allows room to post basic criteria such as maximum budget, and contact information.

In addition to creating a roommate agreement, students can list a profile or search for other student's profiles in the Housing Registry (located within NYU Home). Search criteria is listed (gender, age, habits or schedules) to help you narrow down your search. You can also list your profile so that others may contact you.

Sharing an apartment with someone else is can be a great experience. However, like all relationships in life, problems can arise easily and escalate quickly. When "real world" issues come up it can be difficult to sort out the best solutions. The best way to prevent or combat problems is to choose wisely, understand the liability issues, and communicate expectations upfront.

New York University affiliates may also register for our Listings => DIRECT! service by sending an e-mail request. Participants of this service receive recently approved listings from within the Off-Campus Housing Registry - via e-mail. The service is available exclusively to the NYU community, and distribution is available to NYU e-mail addresses ONLY. If you unable to access your NYU e-mail account, make sure to contact ITS to activate it. Information about eligibility for NYU Home accounts is available at www.nyu.edu/its/students. You may also contact the Off-Campus Housing Office at (212) 998-4620 or offcampus.housing@nyu.edu for additional information.

The term for this service is two months. If, after the two month term, you have not found an apartment or wish to continue receiving listings, you may renew your registration by contacting the Off Campus Housing Office.

New York University has a cooperative relationship with Citi Habitats Relocation which offers a discounted broker commission to the NYU community. To access the Citi Habitats Relocation program, you must register through the Off-Campus Housing Office. Discounts cannot be guaranteed if you contact Citi Habitats directly.

The Citi-Habitats program is one option available to NYU students. NYU students are free to use any real estate brokerage they choose.

Register for the Citi-Habitats Relocation Program

The Off Campus Housing Office provides assistance to current and newly admitted NYU students, faculty, and staff (including those with families or non-student roommates) who are not eligible for or not interested in NYU student housing, and are seeking private off campus apartments for rental or purchase. Off-Campus Housing is dedicated to the successful transition of New York University affiliates and to being an abundant resource of information, guidance, and services.

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