It’s traditionally been difficult to find both apartments and roommates in NYC. Apartments are hard to find, and so are compatible roommates.
As a result, you’re stuck either with a short-term sublet or an overpriced tiny apartment because there’s no practical way to find a group of people you’d actually want to rent a larger apartment with for a year. Fortunately, a company called LiveWith is solving these problems.
The app is the brainchild of Steven Abd El Hamid, a Swede who’s been living in New York for five years now, and Jean Silva, a Brazilian who moved to the US as a teen.
Steven Abd El Hamid, LiveWith CEO
Steven has plenty of experience with the NYC roommate search process, much of it disconcerting. There’s Craigslist, there are fee-based brokers, and there are short-term sublets.
He knew there had to be a better way, and set out to create one. The resulting app LiveWith is a disruptive game-changer in the New York City rental market.
Jean Silva, LiveWith CTO
Jean has been passionate about coding for a lifetime. With over a decade of experience and a computer science degree, LiveWith’s CTO brings both programming power and fresh ideas to the app. His preferred focus is on coding that makes a difference in peoples’ lives, which is how he connected so effectively with Steven.
Painless NYC Roommate Searches And Apartment Searches In New York? Tell Me More!
The Current Paradigm
Right now, if you’re looking for an apartment or roommates in NYC, you’re pretty much stuck with one of a very few sub-optimal choices. You could troll Craigslist for roommates who are desperate for a place to live.
But it’s well-known that Craigslist makes zero effort to verify, validate, or check into the content of their ads. That’s a great way to end up with a roommate like Chandler’s roommate Crazy Eddie, or worse!
On the other hand… Well, it’s actually “secondhand” in this case. If you take a short-term sublet in NYC, you’re getting a secondhand room in a secondhand apartment that’s only been cleaned as much as the previous resident could be bothered to.
You’ll get secondhand roommates, and a third-rate overall experience… And you’ll have to do it all over again in three months or six months time when the sublet ends.
Living alone in NYC means a tiny apartment that’s vastly overpriced, and probably has a view of a brick wall. That’s not even considering the broker fees you’ll likely pay to find that apartment, which drive the cost up even further! Overall, the current paradigm for renting in New York City has not been favorable to tenants. But that’s all changing, thanks to LiveWith!
The LiveWith Approach To Finding Roommates In NYC
The LiveWith App might be described as Tinder for roommates, but it’s so much more than that. Sure, you can swipe yes or no to a roommate option. But that roommate has been verified, and you’ll be able to see information that helps you to determine compatibility. In addition, it’s a mutual match – so if you swipe yes and they swipe no, they won’t end up on your list of potential roommates.
This solves several problems. The first, of course, is the terrifying concept of moving into an apartment full of other people you don’t know. Are they decent people? Will they have unreasonable standards?
Will they think your “dishes should be done at least every other day” standards are unreasonable? There’s just no telling. But since LiveWith verifies roommates, you know you’re getting someone who is what they claim to be and who has a basic level of compatibility with you.
Another problem solved by finding roommates first through the app and then searching for a place is that it’s exponentially easier (and cheaper!) to bring a group of people to a landlord and rent the apartment as a group than to try to find someplace that’s appropriate for just you and a landlord who’s willing to rent to just one person.
Let’s be honest, more people on the lease means a greater chance of collecting the rent, even if bad things happen to one person. With NYC rents where they are, it makes sense to rent larger apartments to larger groups of people. LiveWith gives you the opportunity to create that group of compatible roommates and find an apartment together.
LiveWith Roommate Matching Process
That brings us to the next problem the app solves…
The LiveWith Approach To Finding Apartments In NYC
Once you’ve found a group of roommates you actually want to live with, the app gives you the ability to search through hundreds of thousands of verified apartment listings in your desired areas. After finding the perfect apartment, you can schedule a showing and even apply for the apartment right from the app – all as a group.
Landlords are likely to appreciate the convenience one application package and one simple process for an apartment full of people. Anything you can do that makes the landlord’s life easier gives you an edge in getting the apartment, and LiveWith works hard to simplify the entire process for you and for the landlord!
On top of all that, the LiveWith Guarantee says that if your roommate skips, they’ll find another roommate to replace them. That helps to avoid you and the remaining responsible roommates being left holding the bag. It also gives you peace of mind.
LiveWith Apartment Match Process
One More Thing That Can Give You Peace Of Mind…
When you have a number of people sharing an apartment in NYC, there are some risks. Things happen. People are human, and humans make mistakes like leaving a stove on or a door unlocked. The good news is that Effective Coverage offers NYC Renters Insurance renters insurance in all five boroughs. It takes about sixty seconds to buy a policy online right from your phone.
Each member of your household can have their own policy with personal property and liability coverage, and the average cost is between ten and fifteen dollars a month in most areas! Just call (800)892-4308 or click to get covered - whether you need New York City renters insurance quotes online or coverage anywhere else!
Effective Coverage offers the nation's only completely mobile platform to quote and purchase renters insurance right from your phone or tablet in just one minute. Get an online renters insurance quote today and protect your family.