Micro apartments are gaining popularity in NYC. With the city’s population ballooning daily, the scarcity of living space becomes a recurrent challenge.
However, a TikTok user and real estate agent, @skye_nycrentals, has just unveiled a Manhattan apartment that is perfect for people looking to reside in the heart of NYC.
Real Estate Publicity On Social Media
In a now-viral video on the social media platform, @skye_nycrentals took her followers on a tour of an East Village apartment building, and the house contains several units of micro apartments.
The living space in one of the rental rooms was so much that the real estate agent could have conveniently crossed its length in a few steps.
Minimalist Facilities in a Tiny Apartment
For a monthly rent of $1,100, the tiny apartment occupant gets access to a microwave, mini fridge, sink, two windows, and a bed loft. No, it doesn’t come with bedding, nor is a stove part of the contract; instead, renters can move in with a hot plate.
In @skye_nycrentals’s video, the template apartment was largely empty except for the amenities included in the rent contract.
A Communal Configuration to Real Estate
If you’re wondering if the sink in the tiny apartment is for washing, no. The facility has a bathroom down the hall, which the renter shares with other occupants, and the company managing the property cleans it daily.
Among New Yorkers familiar with the cost of rent in the Manhattan area, the quote for the tiny apartment is worth the bargain. According to zumper.com, apartments in Manhattan rent for an average of $3,395.
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Pushback On the Meagre Amenities in the Micro Apartment
However, in the comment section of @skye_nycrentals’s video post, there were conflicting opinions and reactions to the plausibility of the $1,100 tiny apartments.
One user said they could not stand the idea of sharing a bathroom with multiple building occupants. Another sarcastically shared that the apartment should be rented for no more than $200, probably because of the minuscule living space.
The Reemergence of SRO Apartments
Another TikTok user commented under @skye_nycrentals’s video, suggesting that the tiny apartment is just a glorified dorm for working adults. However, real estate developers and managers in New York are not the sole ones responsible for the resurgence of tiny apartments.
Though the concept of micro apartments in NYC gained popularity in 2016, it has existed in other forms as far back as the 1950s.
The Realities Stoking the Popularity of Micro Apartments
Thanks to the ravaging housing crisis of 2016, 2016 became a pivotal period for the emergence of micro apartments. The introduction of 260-square-foot apartments on public real estate listings was a result.
However, single-room occupancy hotels (SROs) were the ‘in thing’ during the mid-20th century. However, over time, the morphing of housing policies has led to demolishing most structures sporting SROs in NYC.
Non-profit Advocacy for Low-budget Housing
Interestingly, NYU’s Furman Center published a report in 2018 suggesting that NYC’s emerging micro apartments are “21st-century SROs.”
Summarily, the report advocates for ease in legislation that discourages the construction of buildings with apartment units of less than 400 square feet. In addition, it suggests that even micro apartments are getting out of the reach of low-income earners.
Micro Apartments Not Better Than Studios in Affordability
Average studio apartments now rent for about $1,308 compared to the $1,100 of @skye_nycrentals’s micro apartments in Manhattan. So, anyone who can afford a micro-apartment in NYC may think it a better bargain to pay for a studio apartment instead.
Unfortunately, the unaffordability of even micro-apartments has existed since its emergence around 2014.
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Low-Budget But Housing That’s Unaffordable
After the commencement of Mayor de Blasio’s NYC tenure in 2014, the city collaborated with private developers to construct about 160,000 affordable housing units.
However, these small apartments reportedly still have a rent tag that is far out of the affordability range for low-income earners. In addition, there is a complex vetting process to get one of these NYC-sponsored units.
Homeless People Bare Their Minds
Roseanne Haggerty, the MacArthur-winning housing activist and founder of a non-profit called Common Ground, has taken to the streets with her team.
The team interviews homeless people to find out why they’ve not exploited the affordable housing units provided by municipalities. They then discovered why homelessness keeps thriving despite the housing initiatives and policies.
The YMCA Model of Public Housing to the Rescue
The Common Ground team interviewed some 100 homeless people on the streets of America. The team’s fear was confirmed as many respondents said they did not want the ‘affordable housing’ schemes.
Instead, these respondents suggested they wanted something tailored to the YMCA model: a housing scheme that provides a place to sleep for the night or a week for those who can afford it.
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