Coconuts
NYC Guides
Places
How it works
Your rental application is four short sections, and you can finish it in one sitting or come back to it.
New York property owners want to know who you are, what you earn, where you live now and who is moving in with you. Nooklyn asks for exactly that — one question at a time, in your browser, with every answer saved as you go.
Who you are
Your legal name, your date of birth and where you hold residency. If you are a US resident we ask for a social security number; if you are not, we do not.
What you earn
Your gross annual income and where it comes from — an employer, a school, freelance work, a subsidy, or several of those at once.
Where you live now
Your current address, how long you have been there, what you pay each month, and how a property owner can reach your current landlord.
Who is moving in
Any pets coming with you, and whether one of them is a service or emotional support animal. Guarantors skip this section entirely.
Proving it
Connect your bank and most of the paperwork disappears.
Everything a property owner asks you to prove can be confirmed straight from your bank instead. Whichever way you choose, you can change your mind before you submit.
Instant, through your bank
Link the account your pay lands in and your identity and your income are both verified in a few seconds. Nooklyn never sees your banking credentials, and nothing is moved or charged.
Or send the documents
Prefer not to connect an account? Upload a photo ID, recent pay stubs, bank statements, a letter of employment or last year's tax return instead.
Nothing is missed
Anything a property owner needs and you have not sent yet is flagged as you go, so you find out before your application is sitting in a queue.
Missing something today?
Carry on without it. Your agent can send you a link later that opens straight onto the one document still outstanding.
Before you send it
You see the whole application, and your agent sees none of it until you submit.
Close the tab, switch to your phone, come back tomorrow — you pick up on the question you left. The last page lists every section with anything still outstanding, and nothing reaches your agent until you press submit.
Keep in mind that you can use a Nooklyn rental application to apply with any other brokerage in New York City — for only $20.
Frequently Asked Questions
The qualifications for renting each apartment vary, as it’s up to each property owner to decide whether to approve or deny an application. Though not a hard and fast rule, many New York property owners use a minimum annual income of 40 times the monthly rent and a 700 credit score for prospective tenants. If you fall below this threshold, consult with your agent – you might still have a chance of qualifying on your own. If not, you may need to consider applying with a guarantor, or using a company that acts as a guarantor on the insurance model.
It’s important to remember that wage income is not the only kind of verifiable income. Freelance earnings, tips, grants or school loans, gifts and various types of subsidies are often considered as well. In the case of housing subsidies, a full subsidy may exempt you from a landlord's credit requirement.
It’s important to remember that wage income is not the only kind of verifiable income. Freelance earnings, tips, grants or school loans, gifts and various types of subsidies are often considered as well. In the case of housing subsidies, a full subsidy may exempt you from a landlord's credit requirement.
No. Connecting an account is the fastest way to confirm your identity and your income, and it saves you gathering paperwork, but every step that offers it also lets you upload documents instead. If you start down one route and change your mind, you can switch before you submit.
When you do connect an account, the link is handled by Plaid: Nooklyn never receives your banking username or password, and nothing is moved or charged.
When you do connect an account, the link is handled by Plaid: Nooklyn never receives your banking username or password, and nothing is moved or charged.
No fear! If you’re not able to prove sufficient income for a New York apartment, you may be able to get approval using a guarantor who co-signs your lease. They fill in an application of their own – the same questions about who they are and what they earn, without the sections about your apartment – and you’ll still complete yours alongside it.
Yes! Use your rental application to apply for apartments with Nooklyn or any other brokerage within 30 days of submission. While other brokerages may ask to run your credit report again, they cannot legally charge for it more than once within that time frame.
Application fees are now capped at $20 USD or the cost of running a credit report— whichever cost is lower. That means no broker, property manager, or landlord can charge you over that amount to submit an application for an apartment. Nooklyn is able to provide this report at a cost of $9.29, currently the lowest price industry-wide.
Application fees are now capped at $20 USD or the cost of running a credit report— whichever cost is lower. That means no broker, property manager, or landlord can charge you over that amount to submit an application for an apartment. Nooklyn is able to provide this report at a cost of $9.29, currently the lowest price industry-wide.
Making a deposit payment indicates that you are serious about renting the apartment you wish to apply for, and many property owners won't consider an application without one. It is paid separately from the application itself, from the lease page your agent shares with you. We recommend a payment of $500 or more to ensure that your application is first in line within Nooklyn.
Keep in mind that some landlords may require a full or partial month deposit to apply. If your application is approved, your deposit payments will go toward the first month's rent and/or security deposit on the apartment.
Keep in mind that some landlords may require a full or partial month deposit to apply. If your application is approved, your deposit payments will go toward the first month's rent and/or security deposit on the apartment.
All payments, apart from the cost of running your credit report for your application ($20) and any convenience fees on electronic payments, are refunded if you are not approved for an apartment. To initiate a request for a refund, contact your Nooklyn agent. Card payments are refunded electronically, and any other method of payment is refunded by check. Checks can be picked up from our Bushwick office at 28 Scott Avenue or mailed upon request. If picking up your check in person, please bring a photo ID.
Everyone on the lease, including guarantors, is "jointly and severally liable" for the entire lease. This means everyone can be held responsible for the whole rent – how you choose to split up that financial liability is up to you.
If you don't have a U.S. credit score, or if you don't meet the apartment qualifications and aren't able to apply with a traditional guarantor, consult with your agent. You may still qualify on your own, or you may consider applying with a company that acts as a guarantor on the insurance model. Many property owners accept online lease insurance services as long as you qualify.
The application itself does not assume you are American: the residency question only asks for a social security number once you say you hold US residency.
The application itself does not assume you are American: the residency question only asks for a social security number once you say you hold US residency.
Know Your Rights
In June 2019, New York State introduced a historic bill that outlined new protections for renters.
How Does this Affect Me?
