NEW YORK (PIX11) – Finding and renting affordable apartments in New York City might get a little easier after some policy changes by the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development.
Affordable housing apartments that become available after someone moves out can now be listed on HPD’s website for re-rentals or even on other popular rental websites. The change will make it possible to get affordable housing without applying for the lottery through the Housing Connect website.
The process marks a change from the previous policy in which New Yorkers could only find affordable re-rentals by opting into alerts from the Housing Connect website. Vacant apartments however were not searchable on the website.
“With the vacancy rate at an all-time low, we’re overhauling the re-rental process to get New Yorkers into housing faster, cut red tape, and meet New Yorkers where they are,” said Deputy Press Secretary Natasha Kersey.
According to the housing agency, the temporary change is part of a broader effort to simplify and modernize the affordable housing process and also address accumulated backlogs in filling affordable vacancies.
“This temporary change helps people get matched with the right home at the right time as we revamp Housing Connect and its functionality,” said Kersey.
Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be found here.
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