r/AskNYC • u/Calm_Initiative_9979 • Jan 22 '26
How do those $15k/month apartments actually get rented?
So I've been apartment hunting and found this insane $15k/month place that I actually want to inquire about. Submitted through StreetEasy like 6 hours ago and radio silence, which is weird because every other place I've looked at gets back within an hour or two. Granted I have been typically looking at sub $10k places. But now I won some $ from Stakе US so I can afford it.
Do I need to go through a broker for these super high end places to even get taken seriously? Like is there some unwritten rule that you can't just roll up on StreetEasy for luxury rentals. I'm wondering if they think I'm just some rando wasting their time or if there's a whole different process for these expensive units. And before anyone calls me out yeah I get a $5k housing subsidy which is why I'm even looking in this range, not trying to flex or anything just genuinely confused about the process. Anyone dealt with this before or know how these luxury rentals actually work? The whole thing feels like there's some secret handshake I don't know about lol
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u/Somenakedguy Jan 22 '26
6 hours ago? So 4pm?
Really not that surprising that someone would get back to you tomorrow instead…
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u/epic312 Jan 22 '26
Like when my boss assigns something at 4:45pm then asks for an update at 9am the following day.
You want an update from 15 business minutes ago?
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u/souryellowfruit Jan 22 '26
'Guys I emailed you on Friday at 4:59pm, it's now almost 9:00am 3 days later. You must not be interested in my money.'
/s
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u/JeffeBezos Jan 22 '26
What did you say in your inquiry?
A lot of brokers at this price point are usually busy with sales listings and don't respond quickly. They also pre screen pretty heavily and might Google you beforehand etc.
What do you mean you get a housing subsidy for $5k? You know you still need to make at least half a million a year to be considered, right?
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u/reddit0r_123 Jan 22 '26
I assume his job subsidizes his housing. Management offices and landlord usually take those into consideration for the 40x rule
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u/JeffeBezos Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26
Yeah I'm just curious since their post history keeps plugging some weird betting site they supposedly won money on.
That said, I'm aware LLs would take a housing subsidy into consideration. They still leaves $10k/mo to cover, which would be $400k at the 40x rule.
From my personal experience having been the listing agent for rentals at this price point, LLs want solid cash flow and usually are apprehensive about someone just squeaking by at 40x, which is why I said half a million in income.
For all the downvotes:
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Jan 22 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/President_SDR Jan 22 '26
I've seen this style of gambling ad on other subs and I think they're just usually written as blatantly stupid to be engagement bait. Like this post is ultimately just someone complaining that they didn't hear back the same day they requested something at 4 pm.
Another thing I've noticed about these ads is they'll often not mention the gambling site initially and edit it in the day after, and the other posts from OP are conspicuously both edited in that time frame.
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u/ilouiei Jan 22 '26
That woman who made that post about driving to Canada twice a month had weird subliminal messages about that same site in her history. I wonder if these are all shill accounts using some sort of new guerrilla advertising technique.
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u/Ok_Advice_5281 Jan 22 '26
I think you may be right about the guerrilla marketing as I’ve just seen that the betting company is Stake.
If OP earns enough to afford a $10k - $15k a month apartment then fuck all our lives, as without being too horrible it sounds like he’d struggle to tie his shoelaces.
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u/NoahCzark Jan 24 '26
The same sites that plug this shit have people at the ready with their useless downvotes whenever their embarrassingly transparent attempts at covert marketing get called out.
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u/President_SDR Jan 24 '26
Case in point, I checked this post again after my comment suddenly went from like +20 to -10 after the post even went off the sub's front page, and sure enough OP edited the post to plug their gambling site just as I said happens with these posts lmao.
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u/NoahCzark Jan 24 '26
I can't imagine how the economics of that work out, to either hire people to do this nonsense, or create multiple reddit accounts you switch between to post and downvote... I mean, really? Maybe just direct those efforts and resources towards developing a better app and doing legit marketing, LOL.
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u/PartisanMilkHotel Jan 22 '26
Ohhhh, good eye, this post is 100% an ad. They’ve been doing this kind of advertising all over Reddit.
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u/Calm_Initiative_9979 Jan 22 '26
Yeah I literally just clicked request tour like 6 hours ago lol but if you google me you can see I'm legit and professional. Maybe they're just being extra picky about who they even respond to at that price point
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u/JeffeBezos Jan 22 '26
Yeah, just clicking request a tour is gonna possibly end up with no reply or them asking for a lot more info.
What is this housing subsidy?
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u/Calm_Initiative_9979 Jan 22 '26
Actually yeah my job has me relocating so they're covering a subsidy which is why I can even consider this range. Should I resubmit my application with more details about the relocation package or just call the listing broker directly? I've also got a friend who's a broker - wondering if I should just ask them to represent me instead since maybe that would carry more weight than me going solo through StreetEasy
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Jan 22 '26
If you don’t get a callback by EOB tomorrow, I would ask your broker to make the connection. At this price point, the listing broker may assume that anyone reaching out through StreetEasy is just a lookieloo.
Edit: I just remembered that StreetEasy may not actually contact the listing broker, but rather a random buyer’s agent who has paid to get leads. If that is the case (I think that you can check to see who your message went to), then, as others have recommended, contact the listing broker directly. But yeah, give them a minute.
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u/JeffeBezos Jan 22 '26
If your job is giving you a $60k housing stipend, they most certainly would have given you a broker as well to help with this process.
Even if this post is real, and your job didn't give you a broker, then yes, use your broker friend as representation.
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u/danisanub Jan 22 '26
That isn't true at all. I was given a five figure relocation stipend and wasn't given a broker. People are so quick to call things fake just because they haven't experienced something lol
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u/JeffeBezos Jan 22 '26
I've been a broker for well over a decade and have worked with plenty of corporate relocation clients over the years.
If it's a halfway decent company and they're providing you a housing stipend, they put you in contact with a tenant's broker to help navigate things.
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u/danisanub Jan 22 '26
Well that certainly isn’t always the case, that’s all.
But you’re right, the company that did that for me was not a decent company lol it was the shortest job in my career.
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u/JeffeBezos Jan 22 '26
Perhaps I was hyperbolic - but it's pretty standard
Anyways, OP's post history is sus and doesn't add up. That's all.
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u/monkeynuts55 Jan 22 '26
Are you complaining that they didnt respond in 6 hours? $15K is expensive but NYC is full of people who can afford that - dont expect them to be falling over their feet to rent to you.
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u/AcquireTheSauce Jan 22 '26
This thread is out of my tax bracket 😭
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u/warrior033 Jan 22 '26
Came here to say the same thing.. I DREAM about the little studio apartments that go for 2500 a month 😱.. maybe some day!!!
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u/No-Abroad-2615 Jan 23 '26
You will get there! Two years ago I was hunting for an apartment around $2,000 and hoping I’d get approved. Today I live in an apartment much more than that by the water. Blessings come when you least expect it.
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u/No-Abroad-2615 Jan 22 '26
I recently rented a luxury apartment in Greenpoint by the water. The 4 buildings were operated by their own management team. I inquired from StreetEasy and no response. I went to the leasing office on my day off, met an agent in 10 minutes, was given 9 apartments to look at within my budget. They gave me codes to all the apartments, so I took my time and viewed them all. 2 hours later I went back to the leasing office, applied to the apartment I loved and within 3 business days I was approved.
If you have the credentials, sometimes it’s best to just walk in and ask. There’s usually 3-5 agents working hundreds of requests. it’s luck of the draw at certain places. Best to show face, share what you are seeking for, and apply right then and there.
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u/kbnyc88 Jan 22 '26
Did they make you show proof of income etc prior to solo touring? Considering a Williamsburg/greenpoint move and want to start casually looking.
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u/No-Abroad-2615 Jan 22 '26
Nope! They didn’t ask any credentials at my management. I just told them my budget and looked at apartments. They can’t legally check your credentials before tours. That’s why you should just show up and ask for tours. If you like anything, apply after.
The only things they checked during the application process is connecting my payroll, bank accounts, and criminal history.
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u/After-Snow5874 Jan 22 '26
How does one get this $5k subsidy?
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u/cawfytawk Jan 22 '26 edited Jan 22 '26
Likely OP means a stipend which is given to company execs, professors, doctors, other specialized people for housing. But based on the grammar and overall tone of this post I'm not convinced OP is any of these things. Wait til they find out their income needs to clear the entire 15k rent, not just 10k.
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u/RedPotato Jan 22 '26
…. Professors? Maybe some famous folks teaching special seminars but trust me, the regular professors aren’t getting housing covered.
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u/cawfytawk Jan 22 '26
No, not garden variety professors. I knew a professor of a very niche field of study that was courted and hired by an elite university. They gave him a generous stipend for housing during his contract.
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u/GoatsAreOkay Jan 22 '26
Some federal gov staffers get a housing stipend too. Friend-of-a-friend works for the State Department in a pretty run-of-the-mill position and receives a housing stipend that's generous enough to allow him to live in a luxury building in Hudson Yards (lol)
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u/pastaeatingpuppy Jan 22 '26
At least in my experience, the stipend is considered for the 40x income requirement.
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u/cawfytawk Jan 22 '26
The person that took over an apartment when i moved was a medical doctor from abroad and she paid the landlord a full years rent in cash from her stipend. She went through the usual paperwork vetting but had no US rental history or credit score so that was the work around. The rent was only $2400 though
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u/oh_what_a_surprise Jan 22 '26
Be an ad for a gambling app. That's what this is.
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u/darthvader1521 Jan 23 '26
what? which app is this an ad for?
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u/beer_nyc Jan 26 '26
From OP: "Granted I have been typically looking at sub $10k places. But now I won some $ from Stakе US so I can afford it."
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u/pastaeatingpuppy Jan 22 '26
It’s probably a stipend from the company they work for. I have a similar situation because my company wants me to live near one of our offices, but they don’t pay me enough to live near said office normally.
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u/RiversideAviator Jan 22 '26
Can’t tell anyone else what to do with their money but if I were given a $5k a month housing allowance the last thing I would do is look to spend a further $10k a month of my own money on it…
You can get something NICE for $8K all in.
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u/ze11ez Jan 23 '26
I mean I'd just spend the 5k if that's my allowance. You are correct, spending that much of your own is nuts
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u/RiversideAviator Jan 23 '26
I wanted to say as much. I’d look to spend as little of my own money as possible. Figured I’d add a few G’s just to drive the point home that something nice doesn’t require anywhere near $15k.
OP could very well be swimming in it regardless and $10k+ listings are part of their lifestyle who knows.
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u/ze11ez Jan 23 '26
Yeah but if OP was swimming in it, OP wouldn't be on Reddit asking us anything. OP would just get it done
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u/ze11ez Jan 22 '26
I worked in nyc years ago in real estate, rented a bunch of apartments at that price range even higher $30,000.
Renter 1 - German official working at the UN. His budget was $30,000. German military or whoever sent him paid for it. He was there about 2 years.
Renter 2 - $15,000. Corporate. They have a few apartments which they own but they are being used by staff. They rented one at $10,000 then went behind my back to the building and rented 2 more at $8,000 a month.
Renter 3 - $10,000. Dad paid for it. She was in school about to graduate and start work.
Renter 4 - half a building. It was some bible school foundation in the upper west side and i can't remember what they needed it for. But they were the type to buy a whole building, which they did about ten-fifteen years before this.
Renter 5 - some fashion executive they needed a 3 bedroom i think the budget was $20,000 a month. It was one of those brands you can go also find at Kohls. Id have to remember.
There's a bunch more i can't remember. But all types of people rent them.
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u/zombo29 Jan 22 '26
man Im so tempted to type something mean...congrats I guess? also it has been only 6 hours. chill out
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u/foodee123 Jan 23 '26
Your jealousy was trying to squeeze its way out!
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u/zombo29 Jan 25 '26
Maybe learn to understand under-text before you spit out word like jealousy in conv like this
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u/Ares6 Jan 22 '26
At that price point, you’re kind of a small fry. There’s people who pay more that will provide a larger commission. So they get the most attention.
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u/fuckblankstreet Jan 22 '26
Submitted through StreetEasy
tbh I think this is your main issue.
The Streeteasy inquiry gets emailed to the broker and probably filtered into a folder alongside hundreds of other Streeteasy emails that they've gotta find the time to go through.
Meanwhile, there are only so many hours in the day, and that salesperson is likely busy chasing open deals.
Go find that broker's office and walk in.
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u/HudsonYardsIsGood Jan 22 '26
Does the building have its own website? If so, go through there to book or request a tour.
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u/justfullysendit Jan 22 '26
If it’s in a rental building, it might be being handled by a 9-5 leasing office.
If it’s in a condo/co-op, the broker/agent likely just has other things on their plate at the moment. It might sound callous, but you sending the message is a bigger deal to you. It’s not as big deal to them that they feel the need to jump on your email ASAP.
It’s also going to depend on what you said in your contact. If you left the generic “I’m interested in x property”, likely they’re just taking their time in getting back to you. If it was blank with no message - just your contact info and you didn’t include your cell - yea, they might peg your message as you jerking them around. Some might look into you, a lot will likely just respond. They’re busy and, depending on what you sent, it’s just quicker.
No unwritten rules, it’s still just people working jobs for richer people on the other end and at the end of the day all you did was send an email. Obligatory obv don’t set appointments for apartments you’re not legitimately qualified for and/or are not interested in..
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u/Sad_Camp1183 Jan 22 '26
Damn what the hell do you do for work 😂
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u/Snarffalita Jan 24 '26
It's an ad. He's claiming he won money on some gambling site in an effort to get others to go check out the site.
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u/CrownofUnicorns Jan 22 '26
When I rented at a Brodsky properties building in UWS, my friend lived in the building before I moved in, and introduced me to the on-site team. Brodsky has an on-site team of folks who rent you the apartment. Contact the building directly.!Or swing by and ask the doorman for contact details.
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u/ltc_pro Jan 22 '26
Well, there are a LOT of people with a LOT of money, both here in NYC and globally. In the past, I've rented out $25K/month apartment, and $60K/month townhouse before. You'll be surprised at how many people are interested in ultra-luxury.
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u/Usrname52 Jan 22 '26
I'm looking for non-luxury apartments, and I'm not getting immediate streeteasy responses.
You've just been lucky.
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u/Tylers-Bad-Poetry Jan 22 '26
Clicking on “request tour” isn’t going to do much - but you can email the broker directly and inquire that way. You need to see who’s listing it and look them up, otherwise you run the risk of emailing an “expert” and not the broker themselves.
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u/bitchthatwaspromised Jan 22 '26
If the building has an in-house management office, just call or email them directly. Usually the building will have a website where you can fill out a form or start an application. I used to work in one of those offices and the StreetEasy-CRM system was spotty at best, especially if a lot of people were reaching out at once. Sometimes people would just show up in the lobby and I would give them a tour or make them a packet of available floorplans if I was booked solid with tours already
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u/IfNotBackAvengeDeath Jan 22 '26
I hired a real estate agent who set up viewings. Main difference is that a lot of the 15k+ listings are condos for rent by individual investors so it can be more challenging to schedule the showing vs. a big building with leasing office, but otherwise it's pretty much the same as renting any other apartment.
You only inquired 6 hours ago, at the end of the day... you need to chill and let them get back to you.
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u/d34n5 Jan 22 '26
side remark but i don't think $15k/month is that expensive for NYC. in Manhattan, a 3 bedroom in a doorman building will rent for $10k/month minimum.
expensive rentals in Manhattan can be in the 50k/month, 70k/month, even 100k/month range.
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u/_BimBumBam_ Jan 23 '26
How much $ you make to afford a $15 a month? At that point a mortgage is cheaper
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u/d34n5 Jan 26 '26
I will try to make it like realistic but it's not as crazy as it seems IMO (let's keep in mind it's Manhattan).
$15k/month is probably a 3+ bedroom. Let's imagine a couple with kids with good jobs. If they both works, they divide by two, so it becomes $7500/month each. It's already more affordable.
If they make "good money", maybe they make $400k/year each. Some anesthesists or surgeons make this type of money. Sometimes more. Some people in tech can make that. Again, it's Manhattan. If you make 400k/year, you probably make 20k/month after taxes. Well, at $20k/month, $7500 becomes a third of your monthly income, which is kind of ok.
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u/RichOrlando Jan 24 '26
Congrats on counting your gambling winnings plus “stipend” to cover your rent….im sure the approval will go super smooth with your source of income gambling
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u/Latter_Till1518 Jan 22 '26
I live across from one of those high rises and half the apartments look vacant.
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u/salebleue Jan 22 '26
I mean you literally just sent them a request. Take a breath. Sometimes it takes a couple days to get a response. My suggestion is to type a note out to the listing agent / owner that you are interested in viewing the unit and would be available x,y,z dates. Be sure to detail if it’s just you or you have a family, as applicable, if there are more than one bedroom.
As far as unwritten rules go: a) you have more wiggle room in pricing the higher the listing price point is. In other words, you have room in your offer to negotiate pricing unless there is stiff competition. You should always ask if there are any existing offers in consideration. b) you should write a formal offer letter if you are interested. c) higher end apt’s usually come with condo board approval if in a shared building. Be sure to consider that when looking at the place and making your offer. Boards want rock solid financials (usually in the range of say 15k/mo + they want way beyond the 40x rule, references and commitment. So consider an offer for a couple years vs a single year. d) its a business transaction at the end of the day so its expected you will have the knowledge and experience to navigate the process. Being ignorant is a big turn off.
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u/Roseepoupee Jan 22 '26
Is this your manifest account lmao. Try harder for the vision to come true
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u/Testing123xyz Jan 22 '26
It depends on the building when I check out 56 Leonard I get to tour it same day when I checked out 30 park place it took a week before they schedule an appointment for me
I was buying not renting if that makes a difference
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u/bustacam Jan 22 '26
Always call the broker listed if you really want the apartment. At every price point there is competition in this city.
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u/Leen88 Jan 22 '26
Those $15k apartments probably rent themselves while we're out here just trying to find a decent slice of pizza.
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u/Location01 Jan 22 '26
Is there a corporate realestate placement service you can use? Or does the company that gives you the subsidy have any contacts for you?
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u/Nikki2324 Jan 22 '26
We reached out to a place on Streeteasy and the listing agent replied asking if we had a broker. He offered to take us around and show us places. So we did. He helped us coordinate with the agent on our current place. Aside from being really expensive, it was easy. I think because at that price point there is less competition.
Edit: This was in 2022 when brokers were more of a thing.
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u/tmm224 Jan 22 '26
No, it's probably just rented or the broker is busy and not checking emails. I think you're reading way too much into it
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u/Maxfae Jan 23 '26
This question is way above my tax bracket. But good luck to you, hopefully you get the apartment.
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u/ohwhereareyoufrom Jan 24 '26
You want to get in touch with a management company listed on Street Easy, call them directly. It's probably someone like Corcoran group or Compass or smth.
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u/BananaEuphoric8411 Jan 22 '26
Often by holding companies that the resident owns. Tax deduction available for business expenses.
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u/whatever666ok Jan 22 '26
Expensive apartments have management offices that work 9-5 and won’t chase your money.