Finding housing for your summer internship in NYC can be a challenge. Most rental contracts are for an entire year, not the 1 or 3 months that you may need your accommodation for, and places which do offer short term rentals are often overpriced or scams. But with a little know-how you can navigate this complex world of the summer internship rental with no problems.

Use rental websites (with caution)

Sites such as Craigslist and Spareroom offer plenty of private ads for ‘sublet’ rooms during the summer, which are short term rentals where the current resident is moving out early or just for the summer period. You might have to take over the person’s portion of the contract or sign a sublease, you might not. Either way, this is a commitment so you have to be careful that you know what you’re getting. Craigslist in particular is known for scamming unsuspecting newcomers to the city. Make sure you do your research on the neighborhood and find out as much about the apartment and roommates as you can. 

Normally, if something seems too good to be true (i.e. it’s incredibly cheap in a popular area), it probably is. Watch out for up-front fees or any other attempt to take money before you’ve moved in, as this can also be an indicator of a scam. In these situations, you don’t have an accredited company to verify that the listing is real, so try to get a video tour or a friend in NYC to look around the apartment for you first.

Explore college summer housing

Several NYC colleges, such as NYU and Columbia, turn their dormitories into intern housing during the summer. These rooms can be a good option for your internship because they’re safe, secure and you’ll be able to live with other interns at a similar life stage to you. You can find more information on NYU’s summer housing here and Columbia’s rooms here. The only issue is competition; these rooms get booked far in advance and because so many interns want to live here, the rates are often much higher than other accommodation options during the summer. If you do decide to go with one of the dormitories, be sure to do research on the neighborhood, as university neighborhoods can vary widely in character and safety in NYC.

Dive into coliving

Coliving combines the best parts of the above accommodation options without any of the negatives. Co-living brings together like minded individuals, many of whom are interns, and places them in friendly apartments with shared facilities and common areas as well as plenty of social events to make it easy to meet new people in NYC. Because everything is run by an official company, you know you’re getting the real thing with no scams even before you move in. 

At Outpost, you can see a video tour of your future apartment and be assured that all of our locations are safe and well positioned for your commute into the city. We have a strong community of interns every summer who all arrive in the city excited to explore and make the most of their time in NYC. Plus, our flexible contracts mean you can stay for as little as one month or longer if you choose, so it’s the perfect option for that short internship (or that job offer that might come after your internship and extend your time here!). We’re also committed to ensuring that our rates are always competitive and affordable for interns, as we know what it’s like when you’re just starting out.