Rent Is Too Damn High in New York City…even for Toys “R” Us

For most New Yorkers rental payments come too soon and the cost cannot make up for what their paychecks can account for. City life has always been about connections, culture, and easy access to transportation and health care. But few people thought that this would come at the great cost of unbearable living spaces.

Apartment sharing, unsafe living spaces and sky-high costs are among the everyday issues for a Broke-Ass New Yorker. Living space is one of the non-spoken issues that come with life in the Big Apple. Most people who live here have a resourceful way of establishing themselves within limited spaces, terrible commutes and bad housing conditions. A small space for a high price is just one of the many challenges we face when living in this city. Even public housing standards have not been met, and complaints are piling up.

Remember those days in the 1970s when owners were setting their properties on fire in The Bronx, because they wanted to collect insurance money? Well, today’s fires are caused by owners who don’t want to make the repairs, and are avoiding city regulations and violation penalties.

Even affordable housing options are limited. Entering the housing lotteries does not guarantee that you will be within the few selected for the interviewing process. The city is aware of this issue and there are many trendy alternatives arising such as My Micro NY, a new apartment option that focuses on single households and establishes small living spaces in combination of common spaces, to ensure people feel some freedom.

Alternative space usage is not a new thing for the City That Doesn’t Sleep—tell that to the New Yorkers who value sleeping time, most of whom are fairly quiet at night in spite of how pop culture depicts us.

Central Park was built with the purpose of providing a lung to a city of high industrial activity, and in present times this lung is serving multiple purposes for residents who just need a little time to breathe outside. And once you’re outside you can’t help but notice the homeless problem. This has been an issue for decades and flexible rental laws can only serve for so long. Eviction notices are being served on a daily basis and judges are ruling for people to stay within their dwellings, for a lack of any shelter options; landlords are getting upset and tenants have a hard time sleeping at night for fear of reprisal.

How long can this go on?

Are the solutions that are being proposed by developers a positive or are they only reflecting on the financial interests of land owners? In a city where even Toys “R” Us has decided to leave Time’s Square you know the rent is too damn high!

Photo Credit: hisstank.com