I Hate NYC #34 Rental Units

Very few people who live in NYC make enough money to buy a home within a liveable NYC neighborhood and are unlucky enough to not have inherited some large stash money at the age of 35 to buy that $800,000 apartment.

This means that the majority of the residents of NYC live in rental units owned by people with enough money who rarely care about the rental unit with exception of whether or not the rent check keeps coming in.

Just finding an NYC rental apartment by itself can be just about the worst experience going, what with the broker fees, three months rent, and a hodgepodge of rental units of varying quality and price.

That said, living in a rental unit is something unto its own.  See, people who don’t make enough money to own NYC property is a large portion of the population in NYC, and unfortunately the entire population of renters isn’t what one would call “refined”.

This means that you will either live next to, on top of, underneath or quite possible in the very same place that a crazy person once lived - right before you moved in no less!

Now “crazy” is on a broad spectrum here.

There are the out and out locked up in Bellevue types who through no fault of their own are chemically imbalanced and end up on the crazy train, and then there is everyone else of the crazy spectrum.

We have the broom to ceiling knockers, the “What are you doing aerobics in here?” old people, the stay up all day and night high on meth whackjobs, the stereo blasters (for the cat), the ball against the wall stress relievers and the loud and over the top sexpots to name just a few.

You’ll never escape all of these sorts of persons when living in a rental.

So, assuming that you find a rental unit that you are satisfied with and are of relatively sane mind, here’s some advice that I have to offer you for when you’re living in a rental…bring ear plugs and use them when you sleep, don’t open your door for anyone and only say “Hi” while making the most minimal of eye contact if you see a neighbor coming or going in the hall.