NYC rental application documents checklist

To rent an apartment in NYC you will usually need a photo ID, proof of income (recent pay stubs and an employment letter), two or three recent bank statements, your most recent tax return, and your guarantor's versions of the same if you use one. Have them scanned as PDFs before your first viewing, because landlords generally take the first complete, qualified application.

Landlords decide which documents they want, so lists vary. The law does limit some things: what you can be charged, and what a landlord may ask about or hold against you. Both are covered below, with separate lists for W-2 employees, freelancers, students and guarantors.

The core packet (almost every landlord asks for these)

Many landlords also ask you to sign a written consent to run a credit and background check. That consent is what lets them pull your report; read it to see which company will run it.

Extra documents by situation

Freelancers and the self-employed

Without pay stubs, landlords look at tax returns to see what you actually earned. Bring two years of returns with all schedules, your 1099s, a year-to-date profit-and-loss statement, and bank statements that show regular client deposits. A letter from your accountant confirming income can help. If your tax return shows less than 40 times the rent because of deductions, expect to need a guarantor or to show savings.

Students and new graduates

Most students rent with a guarantor. Bring proof of enrollment, any financial aid or scholarship letter, and, if you have accepted a job, a signed offer letter with salary and start date. International students without US credit can read renting without US credit history.

Guarantors

A guarantor signs a promise to pay your rent if you don't, so the landlord screens them as hard as you, often at 80 times the monthly rent. Some landlords also limit where a guarantor can live, so ask before you line one up. Your guarantor should send ID, pay stubs or an employment letter, two years of tax returns, bank statements, and sometimes proof of assets. Check their numbers with the guarantor income calculator, and if no one qualifies, see institutional guarantors.

Voucher holders

Your voucher letter or subsidy approval is your proof of income for the share it covers. In NYC it is illegal to refuse an applicant because they pay with Section 8, CityFHEPS, HASA, SSI or another lawful source of income, and the NY State Human Rights Law also bars source-of-income discrimination statewide. See renting with a housing voucher.

Pets

If the building allows pets, have vaccination and license records, a photo, and a reference from a previous landlord ready. For a service or emotional support animal, see emotional support animals in housing.

What a landlord cannot ask for or use

Protecting your personal information

Your application packet is a ready-made identity theft kit, so share it carefully.

• Redact what isn't needed. Bank account numbers (keep the last 4 digits) and the routing number don't help a landlord decide anything. Black them out.
• Social Security number. Landlords commonly ask for it to run a credit check. If you don't have one, ask whether they will accept an ITIN, a passport-based screening, or an institutional guarantor instead. If you are uneasy about emailing it, ask whether you can enter it directly in the screening company's secure portal.
• Send through a portal, not open email, when the landlord offers one, and never send documents to someone you haven't confirmed works for the landlord. Asking for your SSN before you've seen the apartment is a classic rental scam red flag.
• Tax transcripts instead of full returns. If you'd rather not hand over a full return, an IRS tax return transcript shows the key figures. You can download it from your IRS online account, or order it by mail and receive it in 5 to 10 calendar days.

Your interactive checklist

Tick items as you scan them. Your progress is saved in this browser only, not sent to Roofy.

Next steps

With your packet ready, confirm the rent fits with the rent affordability calculator, check the income bar in the 40x rule, and follow the week-by-week search plan. Before you apply anywhere, check the building's record.