We Pay Under $700/Month To Rent Micro Apartments In NYC | Unlocked

Alaina Randazzo, 25, and J.R. Wills, 27, both live in micro apartments in the same building in midtown Manhattan. Each studio apartment has a lofted bed and is around the size of a parking spot or a walk-in closet. Alaina's windowless unit is 80 square feet and rents for $650/month. J.R.'s unit has a window, is 85 square feet and rents for $687/month.

Unlocked is a home tour series focused on how much people across the globe spend on their housing, what they get for the money and what they had to sacrifice to make it happen.

Produced, shot and edited by: Mickey Todiwala
Managing Producer: Beatriz Bajuelos Castillo
Animator: Gene Woo Kim
Additional Footage: Alaina Randazzo

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[shnuggumz]

I think I’d much prefer a micro apartment all to myself, than share an apartment with FOUR strangers!

[fletchdavidson]

I have much more gratitude for my apartment after watching this.

[PurplePegasus]

Ok so for people that are not from nyc, these are not micro studios or apartments. They're SRO (single room occupancy with share bathrooms) dwellings or boarding houses. They're transitional housing designed for people who don't have permanent housing and it's meant to be a safer option for unhoused people than shelters (which are very dangerous and the waiting list is very long for unhoused folks to get into these type of sros). These used to be tenanment buildings with no windows, which caused so many deaths, et al., until building codes and ordinances required windows. Just wanted anyone who's coming here to live to be aware.

[coilyqueen]

I rather live in a micro apartment than share an apartment with 5 or 6 roommates. That many roommates is like having a micro apartment since the only privacy you have is your bedroom. Sharing a bathroom would be required for both which is really unappealing.

[moewilson]

I don’t count it as an apartment if the bathroom is separate and shared on top of it. These are glorified rooms for rent.

[raynoldgrey]

Because so many people overpaid for homes even while loan rates were low, I believe there will be a housing catastrophe because these people are in debt. If housing costs continue to drop and, for whatever reason, they can no longer afford the property and it goes into foreclosure, they have no equity since, even if they try to sell, they will not make any money. I believe that many individuals will experience this, especially given the impending mass layoffs and rapidly rising living expenses.

[ArchangelTyrael]

The broker's fee should be illegal.

[mdel]

A big benefit to having a small space like this is you have to be intentional with the stuff you bring in. Most people tend to buy crap just to fill up their living space, so a small spot means you only have what truly brings you value and save money in the process.

[MasonsTurtle]

Having the window makes a world of difference.

[TomNook.]

Is this why crime is so high in NY? Go to jail and you get a bigger space, free gym and food!

[bingboyify]

I have rented in NYC before, I gotta say, this kind of mini apartment must be very very hard to find in NYC especially in Manhattan.

[florian]

The barista really looks like your average Starbucks staff. 😂

[rachiboo]

i'm not against tiny spaces at all.. I live in a small house myself. However, I would go crazy in an apartment that size.. people shouldn't have to live in a space that small

[Divalish.]

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at begin to change. ❤❤❤❤❤

[Xray-Romeo]

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at begin to change” - 🤯

[woodsie]

Living in a tiny apartment would be no problem but my cut off would be the shared bathroom. It doesn't take a lot of square feet to have a decently functioning bathroom but I understand that pretty much all of these "micro apartments" were never planned from the bare dirt up to be what they are.

[empirestate]

These seem like SROs (single room occupancy) units, not micro-apartments. Proper micro-apartments have a functional kitchen and full bathroom. These are just dorm rooms where you have to use a shared bathroom and cooking facilities.

[-OSwords]

Wait, she said "I have a window this time"...did she not have an egress window in the studio? I didn't see one. That's a fire trap, it's super illegal to rent that even as a bedroom for rent. & sharing a bathroom with a neighbor? Not at any price. Nope.

[cccc]

this is going the direction of Hong Kong's shoebox apartments.

[RudieObias]

When I first moved to NYC in 2008, I lived in a small studio for $450 per month in Williamsburg. It was super tiny, but I spent most of my time out and about Brooklyn.