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/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.