NYHabitat

After wasting my time with other websites and providers, I finally found NY Habitats. If you are looking for a stress-free, hassle-free experience for finding a room in NYC, I fully recommend them. The best thing about them is that they are a licensed real estate company. You have to pay a fee, but I was glad to do it because I was tired of dealing with scammers and crooks from other websites. NY Habitat is an actual company with a nice office and licensed agents. I found my room on their website and was soon in contact with one of their agents, Cornell. I told him my criteria and he gave me different options. I was able to check out the room in advance, met the owner. Once everything checked out, that's when I paid the fee. I received a receipt and a contract that stated the full terms of the rental. Then on the day I moved in I paid the owner directly the first month's rent and security. Don't hesitate to use them, this is a legit company you will not get ripped off. I've already referred some of my friends to them. If you looking for a room in NYC, your best bet is to go with these guys.

After having worked with some rental agencies in Paris, this one was an unpleasant surprise. It seemed like they have an answer service with one agent who keeps her phone off. We were looking to rent an apartment for one month in Paris. Somehow agency fee was 40% of the total rental, and not the customary 5%. When I mentioned that to her, she never realized that and was surprised by the percentage. It was clear that she made that agency fee up. Then, you pay directly to the owner, including deposit, which was 100% of the rental, which she later got reduced to 50% of the total rental. What's the point of the agency if I have to pay directly to the owner? Seems like a high opportunity for scams. And, payments must be made by travelers checks. I'm not even sure where you get those checks from these days, but then you are essentially shipping cash overseas to an unknown "owner." Then, this agent said these owners are reliable because she rented one particular apartment over 53 times. She made that number up, again. It is highly unlikely that this long stay apartment could have been rented so many times. These are monthly or annual rentals, not daily! Overall, I did not feel comfortable working with this so-called "agency."