
The Worst Room - Photos of Cheap Rooms for Rent in NYC - throwaway1980
http://theworstroom.tumblr.com/
======
thecoffman
For all of the people in this thread saying "some of these aren't that bad"
you seriously need to get some perspective. Come visit what's disparagingly
called "flyover country." I live in the St Louis area and pay $450/month for
my apartment. ~1100 square feet with a yard and a parking spot in a nice, safe
neighborhood.

I fully realize that I may not have all of the opportunities available here as
I would in NYC or San Francisco, but I've never struggled to find interesting,
well paying jobs and there is more than enough going on in the St Louis area
to keep a person entertained.

Far be it from me to judge other peoples' choices. You should do whatever
makes you happy in life but, when you find yourself saying that a room the
size of my closet "isn't so bad" of a living space, you might want to take a
step back and reassess some things.

~~~
michaelochurch
_For all of the people in this thread saying "some of these aren't that bad"
you seriously need to get some perspective._

7-year New Yorker here.

By NYC standards, they aren't that bad. They're unattractive and small, but
I've seen _a lot_ worse.

Some of the places that I've had realtors show me make these places look like
palaces. When I first got here and was living on close to nothing, I found (on
Craigslist) a Williamsburg loft where there'd literally be a shower curtain
separating my "room" (which was filthy) from a dark, tenement-like space with
~12 people in it. Kitchen stuff was at least 50 years old and probably didn't
work. I visited at 10:00pm on a Thursday and it was loud as hell. $1200 per
month. Um, no thanks. (By the way, Williamsburg has the most intense negative
energy on earth. Hipsters sound okay in theory but I can't fucking stand them
in practice. To give one a job is like pouring salt on a slug, except a good
thing in the former case because the whining is entertaining.)

However, I agree with you. If you can get a stream of good jobs out in the
Midwest, that is the way to go.

It's honestly not worth the cost of living here for most people. The high
rents here are driven by (a) asshole foreign speculators that the government
irresponsibly lets into the market, when a 6-months-and-1-day rule is really
in order, (b) various legacy rent-control systems that wouldn't be a big deal
except in the context of extreme price inelasticity-- I have no problem with
the idea of rent control, or even with its continuation for the legitimate
beneficiaries; but when upper-middle-class well-connected asswipes buy their
way into an arrangement that's superior to ownership, and lock up housing
stock, that's wrong, (c) NIMBY like you wouldn't believe, (d) parentally-
funded hipster zeros whose guilt-ridden spawners decided they have some
entitlement to the "New York Experience" (at $2-6k/month) even though they do
absolutely nothing for anyone, (e) the fact that in investment banking and
large-firm law, there really are major career benefits to living here (you
pretty much need to live in Manhattan to get promoted in soft-side banking;
trading is more of a meritocracy where you can live whereever you want as long
as you show up on time). If none of these apply, New York is not worth the
cost of living here. It is nice, if you take out the cost problem; I just
think having savings and, eventually, the freedom with having a nest egg,
improves the average person's quality of life by more. (You might guess that I
don't intend to be here in 10 years, although I'm very glad I spent the 7 that
I have.)

~~~
mikecane
>>>7-year New Yorker here.

>>>The high rents here are driven by (a) asshole foreign speculators that the
government irresponsibly lets into the market, when a 6-months-and-1-day rule
is really in order, (b) various legacy rent-control systems that wouldn't be a
big deal except in the context of extreme price inelasticity

Um, no. Second-generation life-long New York _native_ here.

These insane prices are driven up by people like _you_ who come here, don't
know the proper prices, don't know _why_ the hell we have rent control or what
it is and never check to see if you're being ripped off, and so drive
everything the hell up. Period.

~~~
rayiner
These insane prices are drive by people like you who don't know how to do
math. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rent_control_in_New_York>

As of 2011, more than 60% of all apartments in New York are price regulated in
some way. Rent stabilization destroys the incentive for developers to maintain
and improve properties, and combined with the ridiculous historical
preservation laws binds their hands in replacing properties with higher-
capacity housing.

That's why most of the housing in Brooklyn and Queens is former tenement
housing built god knows how long ago and maintained like crap. Landowners
can't easily decide to just tear that shit down and put up mid/high-rises that
could house 10x more people and bring down prices.

~~~
mikecane
>>>and put up mid/high-rises that could house 10x more people and bring down
prices.

Except rent prices _never go down_. This is what you outsiders don't freakin
understand. Even if you got rid of the rent control and stabilization laws,
made it all "free" market, you'd _never, ever_ see a decrease in rents. When
people fled post-9/11 and no one was renting, rents did not go down. They
side-stepped that by offering one or two or three months of "free" rent, while
the registered rent remained in the city's books. _Rents never decrease._ And
never will unless there is some catastrophe that makes the city inhospitable.

~~~
rayiner
First, there is no reason to believe outsiders to NYC have a better or worse
grasp of the underlying economics than insiders to NYC.

Prices in NYC do go down. Rents in NYC fell 10-12% during the down turn (and
of course 2-3 months of "free" rent is economically indistinguishable from a
drop in rents).

Moreover, rents are sticky like most prices. What increased supply does is
keep the rent from going up so quickly.

~~~
michaelochurch
_(and of course 2-3 months of "free" rent is economically indistinguishable
from a drop in rents)._

I hate the "free months" with a passion, because they carry an implicit rent-
raise next year: even if rent stays the same, your effective rent rises
because you're paying for 12 months instead of 11.

I usually try to negotiate the "free months" into a lowered rent (e.g.
$2250/month instead of $2400 with a one-month concession). It means that I pay
a little more in the first year, but next year's rent will be anchored to this
year's.

------
jlgreco
A few of those, for the prices that they are, would be great with the current
furnishings removed / decent furnishings brought in. There is a time in my
life where I would have jumped through hoops to rent some of those.

For example that 300/mo "Breakfast Nook" one looks like it would be perfectly
fine with the other person's shit removed.

(I am not a resident of NYC)

~~~
IvyMike
I'm fairly certain the "Breakfast Nook" is renting JUST the nook at the very
end, and the kitchen is a shared space.

~~~
jlgreco
Hmm, yes. For that price, that _would_ make much more sense.

Even so, it could be fine with the right roommates (is that mess made by the
previous tenant, or the person/people that would still be living there?). If
the kitchen is a shared space that price could actually be fantastic if there
is further shared space that isn't pictured (though I doubt there is).

------
incision
_> Appalling_

Lets have a little perspective [0].

0:
[http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/02/22/_60_perce...](http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/02/22/_60_percent_of_the_world_population_still_without_toilets.html)

~~~
throwaway1980
Sure, but the price is what makes the condition appalling.

------
fossuser
These look pretty good to me - and the rents are actually reasonable. Crappy
Palo Alto Studios are pushing $2k and it's hard to find anything cheaper than
$1300 even in a share.

------
shin_lao
This reminds me of Hong Kong apartments shots:

[http://petapixel.com/2013/02/19/cramped-apartments-in-
hong-k...](http://petapixel.com/2013/02/19/cramped-apartments-in-hong-kong-
shot-from-directly-above/)

------
notahacker
I'm now looking around my London room (rent approx $1000/month; other living
spaces shared) and realizing that with its L-shape and slight roof overhang,
it probably works out smaller than half the ones featured on the NYC blog,
though it does have a window.

On the other hand, the ad I responded to mentioned a "roof terrace" which
would have elicited a few chuckles if they'd put up a picture of the wobbly
ladder leading to the standard flat roof. Funnily enough, its a dubious
feature I actually like for the views and the way it catches the sun rather
better than the _bona fide_ garden I had in my last place. I quite like
walking everywhere too...

~~~
Osmium
I've been living in London myself for little under two years now and I still
can't get my head around the rents. Heaven forbid you want to live on your own
as a young person...

I've also lived in Berlin. And yet somehow that city didn't seem to have the
rent problems other capitals seem to. I have no idea why.

------
sukuriant
Those ... really aren't that bad. Well, not all of them at least. Some of them
even seem quite livable. Maybe we need to see room dimensions or something? If
they're all 5x7 feet or something, that might be a bit more understandable

~~~
shardling
A lot of them could just be pictures of the corner of a room. Without context
it's hard for me to say they're terrible.

------
rayiner
God, coming from Chicago I find the New York housing market to be such a
disaster (though I live in Westchester so I put my money where my mouth is, I
guess). I remember paying $1,800 a month of a 250 square foot room on the UWS
where the closet had been turned into a bathroom. I lost weight that summer,
because I was literally so disgusted by the filth of all the old buildings. I
remember visiting an apartment in Astoria (around $1,200/month for a share of
a 2BR) and literally leaving in the middle of the walk through because the
bathroom was so old and gross.

The only (relatively) good deals in Manhattan are in FiDi, where I'd imagine
the historical preservation nazis are less nazi-ish about tearing shit down
and renovating. At least last time I checked, there was some reasonable new
construction/renos down there that didn't cost $5,000/month for a 1BR.

------
Roedou
From the perspective of a non-NYC resident, this is terrible.

I had understood that bedrooms in the USA had to have a closet and a
window/external door. Is that not the case?

~~~
graue
I'm a recent NYC transplant. In past places I've lived (VA, DC, MN) it's
definitely the law that a bedroom must have an egress window — not just a
window, but one that opens and is large enough you could exit through it in
case of a fire.

In New York, either that _isn't_ the law, or it just gets violated a lot more
often. Since moving here I've seen a surprising number of places where the
bedroom has no windows.

However, there is definitely no requirement (in any state I've lived in) for a
bedroom to have a closet. Some do, many don't.

~~~
mikecane
>>>In New York, either that isn't the law, or it just gets violated a lot more
often.

That. The city is infested with illegal apartments that would never pass fire
inspections.

------
w1ntermute
See this Verge article on the NYC renting startup Urban Compass:
<http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/7/4304374/urban-compass>

Also, the short book _The Rent Is Too Damn High_ : <http://www.amazon.com/The-
Rent-Damn-High-ebook/dp/B0078XGJXO>

These are all very solvable problems, it's just very difficult to change the
status quo.

~~~
rayiner
There is no hope for NYC on defeating the NIBMY crowed. If I thought there
was, I'd personally go around raising money to fight the preservationists.[1]

As corrupt as Chicago is, I do love one thing about it: the corruption
sometimes works in peoples' favor. Recently, Northwestern University wanted to
tear down its hideous old womens' hospital to put up a new medical facility:
[http://d22r54gnmuhwmk.cloudfront.net/photos/1/zg/re/MTzGREji...](http://d22r54gnmuhwmk.cloudfront.net/photos/1/zg/re/MTzGREjiZWtjkHf-556x313-noPad.jpg).
The usual suspects bitched about architecture blah blah. Rahm was like "STFU"
and Northwestern got a permit to tear that shit down. The funny thing was that
they basically abandoned it during the scuffle with the preservationists (like
3-4 years). I'm convinced the plan was to basically be like "oops, looks like
it's not safe to occupy anymore!" (buildings break down surprisingly quickly
during periods of no occupancy).

[1] I secretly dream of doing a non-profit specializing in litigation against
preservationist groups.

~~~
throwaway1980
Is preservation ever good?

~~~
rayiner
It's not that preservation is bad, it's that it's rarely subject to any
rational cost-benefit analysis. If the EPA promulgates a new regulation, the
resulting flood of litigation forces intense scrutiny of the costs and
benefits. But nobody has a concentrated interest to stand up to
preservationists. An individual developer might oppose it, but existing land-
owners as a whole benefit both from the slimmest of historical significance
and from keeping down the total supply of office space, housing, etc. So you
don't see cities buried in lawsuits over trying to promulgate those sorts of
ordinances.

------
everyone
Most people in the world do not have this level of luxury in the
accommodations.
[http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sconcerns/housing/hou...](http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sconcerns/housing/housing2.htm)
I'm honestly a bit annoyed by this article. Someone wants to live in one of
the most populous cities in the world with quite high density and also expects
a more luxurious setting and a low price?

~~~
mikecane
>>>Someone wants to live in one of the most populous cities in the world with
quite high density and also expects a more luxurious setting and a low price?

Yes, because that is how New York City _used to be._ This crap of these
illegal one rooms are driven by people who don't give a shit for native New
Yorkers or the laws at all.

~~~
dreen
Who the fuck are _native New Yorkers_?

~~~
mikecane
People _born_ here. Whose parents were born here. Who made this city. Which is
not a goddammed amusement park despite how all the outsiders use it.

~~~
jlgreco
I'm glad to see _"the immigrants did it"_ is alive and well. /s

~~~
mikecane
No, not the immigrants. The Midwesterners.

------
Duhck
You should look in NJ (specifically Union City, Jersey City, West New York).

I live in Weehawken and spent all my energy looking (for months) in NYC. After
living in Astoria (amazing neighborhood) for two and a half years, I decided I
wanted more space.

Benefits of living in NJ are: 1) More space 2) Cheaper rent 3) Nicer apartment
for the money 4) No NYC residents tax (anywhere from 2-7% depending on income
level)

------
nilkn
I'm paying $1200/month in Houston, but it's 800 sq. ft., newly refurbished
hardwood floor, granite counter-tops with kitchen island, new stainless steel
appliances, double vanity sinks, rain shower, a little balcony, washer/dryer
in unit, and I have a five minute walk to work and also lots of restaurants
and night life.

------
zergrushidiots
This would be a great post. On Reddit.

------
hcarvalhoalves
That's sad man. People in NYC are paying what would get you a nice apartment
elsewhere for the equivalent of a basement, closet or prison cell. Some of
those should be even illegal to rent as residential, no?

------
aneth4
These are rooms to sleep in. If you think these are that bad, try visiting a
real slum. It's first world privilege to consider a small clean room in New
York City a horrible place.

~~~
angersock
Yes, and indeed all those pigs tightly packed into the slaughterhouse have
food and water and shelter given to them every day, while even today feral
swine wander under the harsh elements in search of food and a place to drink.

:/

~~~
aneth4
You're missing an essential element: the living conditions of a human in a NYC
apartment are _entirely voluntary_.

People rent overpriced tiny places because they can't afford full priced full
sized rooms. If overpriced tiny places were not available, full sized rooms
would be more expensive and many people would not have the _choice_ to live in
a small cheaper room.

Anyway, if you want the real culprit of NYC and SF rental pricing problems,
it's very simple: RENT CONTROL IS EVIL. Rent control causes hoarding, and the
higher market prices go the more hoarding and the higher prices go. It's a
vicious cycle.

------
k-mcgrady
You must have to really love New York to pay such high prices for places like
those. I don't mind living somewhere small and not particularly nice but those
places seem terrible.

------
jacques_chester
Half the responses in this thread remind me of the _Four Yorkshiremen_ skit:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1a1wHxTyo>

"Looxereh!"

------
virtualwhys
No windows, madness, is the big shitty really all that to suffer solitary
confinement...and pay for it to boot?

~~~
jlgreco
Unlike solitary confinement, you are always free to leave your apartment and
enjoy the city. If you rent this sort of apartment then you should be prepared
to live a lifestyle that does not involve expecting to be entertained by
things that are in your apartment; if you want to do that then you can live
_anywhere_ else.

~~~
mikecane
>>> If you rent this sort of apartment then you should be prepared to live a
lifestyle that

... might include roasting to death due to a fire blocking your only egress.

~~~
jlgreco
<http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/pdf/2010/2009_fdny_year_end.pdf>

I don't know you, but I can tell you with confidence that you have better
things to worry about.

~~~
mikecane
Whatever that is, Firefox can't display it. And personally I don't worry. I'm
not "living" in one of those cells.

~~~
jlgreco
It is called a "PDF". It presents data on fire related deaths in New York
City. They are practically a rounding error. Congratulations on finding a
nicer place to live.

~~~
mikecane
I can see it's a damn PDF. Complain to Mozilla that Fox won't display it. And
I wasn't about to DL so you could make a point that probably could have been
made w/o a PDF.

~~~
jlgreco
> _Complain to Mozilla that Fox won't display it._

That is probably what you should be doing, not complaining to me.

~~~
mikecane
Ha. But I'm not sure I want Firefox to display them.

------
mcosta
This was normal during the housing bubble in almost all the european capitals.

------
reinhardt
Meh.. if you think these are bad, try Copenhagen instead.

------
TomMasz
Even cells in solitary confinement have windows.

~~~
moskie
Comparing these rooms to solitary confinement is pretty stupid. You can't
leave solitary confinement whenever you want (hence, "confinement").

~~~
nilkn
It might be stupid in most aspects, but many of the cells _do_ have windows.

In many areas of the developed world it's actually illegal to rent out a room
without a window.

