You can secure a New York lease without a US-based guarantor, but because landlords are not legally required to accept foreign financial documents, you will likely need to use a third-party guarantor service, find university-affiliated housing, or sublet.
“I am an incoming international graduate student moving to New York. My roommates and I do not have US-based guarantors. What are our options for securing a lease, and how can we find landlords who accept international student documentation like I-20 forms and foreign bank statements?”
Summary
You have several legal, recognized paths forward. While New York law prevents you from paying months of rent upfront to win over a landlord, institutional guarantors are widely accepted across the city specifically to solve this problem for international students.
Because you do not have a local credit history or a US-based guarantor, you have three main paths to secure housing, and one common workaround that is now illegal in New York.
You can pay an institutional guarantor company to act as your guarantor. These services are legally recognized and widely accepted by many New York landlords. Your out-of-country parents can act as the responsible parties to the company by showing sufficient income or liquid assets.
You can rent a room from an existing tenant who already holds the primary lease. This arrangement does not require you to qualify for the primary lease yourself, though unofficial sublets carry risks if the landlord is not involved.
You can apply for dorm-style residences or housing offered directly through your university, which bypasses the traditional landlord credit requirements entirely.
You cannot offer to pay several months or a year of rent upfront to secure the apartment. New York law strictly limits security deposits and upfront payments to exactly one month's rent.
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The legal landscape and landlord requirements
There is no New York State law that requires you to have a US-based guarantor, and no law prevents a landlord from accepting your I-20, foreign bank statements, or scholarship letters. Landlords are legally permitted to request these documents to assess your financial reliability.
However, accepting these documents is entirely up to the landlord's own risk policy. Most New York landlords require tenants to prove a steady income of 40 to 50 times the monthly rent and hold a US credit score of 700 or higher. If you do not meet these standards, landlords typically require a personal guarantor who lives in the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut) and earns 75 to 85 times the monthly rent. An out-of-country parent does not qualify as a personal guarantor.
To bridge this gap, many international students use a {"term": "third-party-guarantor", "text": "third-party guarantor"}. These companies are legally recognized and accepted at hundreds of thousands of rental units. However, they are not universally accepted; some landlords and property managers still refuse to work with third-party companies.
In the past, international students often bypassed these strict requirements by offering to pay a larger {"term": "security-deposit", "text": "security deposit"} or several months of rent in advance. This is no longer allowed. The Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 limits security deposits to one month's rent, regardless of whether you have a guarantor. You cannot legally pay rent upfront to win the lease.
Next steps
To find landlords who accept international student documentation or third-party guarantors, focus your search using these methods:
Use your university's housing resources
Almost every New York City university has an off-campus housing office or a housing coordinator. Start here, as they maintain lists of local landlords who are accustomed to renting to international students and accepting foreign financial documents.
Search third-party guarantor databases
If you plan to use an institutional guarantor, search their specific databases first. Companies like Insurent maintain lists of pre-approved buildings and landlords that already accept their guaranty, saving you the time of applying to places that will reject the service.
Hire a specialized real estate broker
Consider using a tech-savvy real estate brokerage that specializes in helping international students. A knowledgeable broker knows exactly which buildings accept alternative documentation and third-party guarantors, preventing you from wasting application fees on strict landlords.
Legal sources
The rules for securing a lease in New York come from state tenant protection laws and standard real estate practices.
BrickUnderground
Landlords typically require tenants to earn 40 to 50 times the rent and guarantors to earn 75 to 85 times the rent and live in the tri-state area.
Most landlords, at minimum, require that you earn a steady income of at least 40 to 50 times the monthly rent... you'll almost certainly need a personal guarantor... Unfortunately, many landlords require that the guarantor earn a salary of 75 to 85 times the monthly rent and reside in the tri-state area
Off-Campus Partners
Landlords are permitted to request and accept foreign financial documents to verify your ability to pay.
Since international students often don’t have a local credit history, landlords can request proof of financial support, such as bank statements, scholarship documentation, or a letter of financial sponsorship.
BrickUnderground
New York law prohibits landlords from accepting larger security deposits or upfront rent payments to bypass guarantor requirements.
In the past, another option for international renters was to see if the landlord was willing to accept a bigger security deposit upfront... This is no longer allowed, thanks to stronger tenant protections implemented as part of the 2019 rent law changes.
City Limits
The 2019 rent law limits security deposits to one month's rent, even if you do not have a guarantor.
New York’s Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019 limits security deposits to one month’s rent. This applies regardless of whether the tenant provides a guarantor.
Insurent
Third-party guarantor services are widely accepted across hundreds of thousands of rental units.
Accepted at over 775,000 units across NY, NJ, MA, VA, MD, DC, IL, NV, CA and FL.
City Limits
While third-party guarantors are common, individual landlords can still refuse to accept them.
After Dolores spent 40 minutes on public transportation from her workplace, completed the house tour, and was ready to submit an application, the agent informed her, through a jumble of calls, that the landlord did not accept guarantors from third-party companies.
This is general guidance based on New York State tenant laws and real estate practices, not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney or your university's housing office for help with your specific lease.
SettleKit is not a law firm. This information is for educational purposes and does not constitute legal advice.
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