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EDDIE LANDSBERG
  • FRONT PAGE
    • New York City Listings Page (Rentals)
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    • BIO as Musican
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  • BROKER LINK
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    • Apartment Hunting On A Budget
    • Filling Out A Rental Application
    • How Guarantors Work
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    • Can international students rent apartments in NYC?
    • Can the landlord raise my rent?
    • Can foreign nationals rent apartments in New York City?
    • QUESTIONS ABOUT RENTING APARTMENTS IN NYC
  • SELLING/BUYING
    • Super Deals! (under $300k)
    • Condos & Co-ops / under 700k
    • Condos & Co-ops / Over $700k
    • Houses / Multi-family / Townhouses
    • All Properties (over 1.5M)
    • Eddie on City Snap
    • What's my house worth?
  • Featured Listings
    • RentHop
    • StreetEasy
  • LANDLORDS
  • 日本語
    • ニューヨーク市の賃貸物件
    • プロフィール
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    • 0-1 BEDS by PRICE
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    • 2 BEDS by PRICE
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    • 3 BEDS by PRICE
    • 3 BEDS by RECENCY
    • 4 or more BEDS by PRICE
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      • Affordable Deals in the Financial District
      • Upper East Side Bargains and Deals
      • Latest on Market in Bushwick
      • Midtown Manhattan Rentals
      • Specials in Soho
      • CHELSEA awaits you
      • Astoria is Hot and Cooking!
      • Best of the Village
      • Washington / Inwood: The Very Best of Upper Manhattan
      • Upper West Side Living
      • Best Deals in Harlem
  • Search by Budget
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    • 3D Viewings and Virtual Tours
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      • Gross Rent Calculator
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      • Rent Increase Calculator
      • Rent Burden Calculator
      • Cheaper to Buy or Rent?
    • Lease Assignment
    • Monthly Budget Sheet
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What's the deal with those "for rent" signs on the electric polls?

Here's an example of a rental listing on a utility poll.

It says:

FOR RENT

Small basement 1 bedroom apt off ( ) street and ( ) avenue with all utilities included
Broker
718-xxx-xxxx


There are a few problems with this listing, aside from the fact that it is illegally posted.  

First, most basement rentals are illegal, but even if this is a rare legal basement rental, there's another problem.   It says "Broker", but the brokerage and license status aren't revealed.  This is blind advertising, and one of three things is likely going on:
  • It's not really posted by a broker
  • It is, but the broker isn't up to date with the latest regulations and may not be up to date with other recent rent reforms (for example related to fair housing, application fee caps and security deposits.)
  • The broker knows what he or she is doing, but has a "no one really cares about these petty rules" attitude.

I decided to google the phone number for fun.   The good news:  The person definitely claims to be a broker, but none of the party's websites have sufficient information to confirm their license status.    This is problematic, because by stating that he or she is a broker, it's likely that the person is going to request money from the person who responds to ad.    If it's a scam, the person will likely request the money be sent to a his or her private account (another violation of real estate law) and will request for it to be sent my Zelle in which case the money will be virtually irretrievable.  

Here's where things get heartbreaking:   The City has been putting in a significant amount of effort trying to motivate people report illegally rented apartments.  

This "broker" has opted to plaster the neighborhood with advertisements for a dubious listing that's likely located on a block of nosy neighbors, of which in only takes on neighbor to call 311 or fill out a form that's readily available on the City's website, get inspectors out and possibly get the tenant evicted.

Check out this 7 On Your Side report and you'll see why it's best to steer as clear as possible from this and other illegal rental options no matter how money saving they seem to be. 

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Fair Housing Notice
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Keller Williams NYC
​Edward Paul Landsberg
License # 10401370067​
licensed Real Estate Salesperson​

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 Krieger Real Estate
146 Sullivan Street #23
New York, NY 10012
(484) 460-2668

This site is copyrighted eddielandsberg.com 2001-2023 and beyond.

This website is owned and operated by Edward Landsberg doing business as Eddie Landsberg.   I am a Licensed Real Estate Sales Person affiliated with Krieger Real Estate.   The website is a third party website. I am fully responsible for its content.  
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  • FRONT PAGE
    • New York City Listings Page (Rentals)
  • BIO
    • BIO as Real Estate Agent
    • BIO as Musican
    • Let's Search Together!
  • BROKER LINK
  • RENTER EDUCATION
    • Apartment Hunting On A Budget
    • Filling Out A Rental Application
    • How Guarantors Work
    • Proving Income if you are Self Employed >
      • Apartment Hunting for Actors, Artists and Musicians
    • Can international students rent apartments in NYC?
    • Can the landlord raise my rent?
    • Can foreign nationals rent apartments in New York City?
    • QUESTIONS ABOUT RENTING APARTMENTS IN NYC
  • SELLING/BUYING
    • Super Deals! (under $300k)
    • Condos & Co-ops / under 700k
    • Condos & Co-ops / Over $700k
    • Houses / Multi-family / Townhouses
    • All Properties (over 1.5M)
    • Eddie on City Snap
    • What's my house worth?
  • Featured Listings
    • RentHop
    • StreetEasy
  • LANDLORDS
  • 日本語
    • ニューヨーク市の賃貸物件
    • プロフィール
  • RENTALS BY BEDS
    • 0-1 BEDS by PRICE
    • 0-1 BEDS by RECENCY
    • 2 BEDS by PRICE
    • 2 BEDS by RECENCY
    • 3 BEDS by PRICE
    • 3 BEDS by RECENCY
    • 4 or more BEDS by PRICE
    • 4 or more BEDS by RECENCY
  • Pet Friendly Apartments
    • most recent
    • by price
  • Amenities
    • Search by Amenities
    • Elevator Only
    • Laundry In Building
    • Laundry in Unit / Dishwasher
    • Rentals with Swimming Pool
    • FURNISHED APARTMENTS >
      • most recent
      • by price
      • Roommate and Room Share Friendly
  • RENTALS BY NEIGHBORHOOD
    • Moving to New York City
    • MAP VIEW
    • DRAWING TOOL
    • Search by Neighborhood & Zip (Manhattan)
    • Popular Neighborhoods in NYC >
      • Long Island City (QUEENS)
      • Unbeatable Deals: Blocks from Central Park
      • Affordable Deals in the Financial District
      • Upper East Side Bargains and Deals
      • Latest on Market in Bushwick
      • Midtown Manhattan Rentals
      • Specials in Soho
      • CHELSEA awaits you
      • Astoria is Hot and Cooking!
      • Best of the Village
      • Washington / Inwood: The Very Best of Upper Manhattan
      • Upper West Side Living
      • Best Deals in Harlem
  • Search by Budget
  • Resources / Documents
    • 3D Viewings and Virtual Tours
    • How to DocuSign
    • Rent Calculators >
      • Gross Rent Calculator
      • Rent Pre-Qualification Calculator
      • Money Due at Lease Signing Estimator
      • Rent Increase Calculator
      • Rent Burden Calculator
      • Cheaper to Buy or Rent?
    • Lease Assignment
    • Monthly Budget Sheet
    • NYC Real Estate Market Reports
    • Tenant Rights and Disputes
  • FAIR HOUSING NOTICE