Low inventory rates and high demand are the current reality of New York City's apartment rental market. The Big Apple is one of the world's most competitive places in which to find housing, but finding your dream rental is not impossible. The following are four tips to help you maximize your rental experience.

President of the Rent Stabilization Association: Joseph Strasburg  The Rent Guidelines Board (RGB) will be making a highly debated decision next week in regards to a percentile increase of rent stabilized apartments. Although this vote takes place every year, this year’s decision has been exceptionally publicized due to a potential rent freeze. Bill de Blasio, the first mayor to ever run on the platform of a rent freeze, may come through on his promise—considering that over half the board has been given a seat via his appointment. Although the board favors implementation of the first rent freeze in NYC history, the Rent Stabilization Association (RSA) has other ideas.

Margaret Chin a Manhattan City Councilwoman introduced a new bill on April 10th that would greatly benefit the senior community living in New York City today. This proposed bill would put a rent freeze on senior citizens that are currently earning $50,000 or less annually.

Photo Source: www.realtytrac.com New York City is on top of another real estate list, no surprise. The list of top 20 worst counties in America to be a landlord, surprise!

The autumn winds are descending on New York City, which can only mean one thing--there’s a storm coming. Fall is a banner season for the Manhattan rental market, and projections for the final three months of 2012 look to heighten this precedent. Rental prices hit a record high in July, totalling about $3,459 per month. That’s an astounding sum to pay for a single apartment. Before you head out to the nearest agency, be prepared to encounter stricter lease requirements. Now that the market is on fire, landlords are allowed to demand the very best of their tenants.

The journey towards securing an apartment for rent is often chaotic, unpredictable and needlessly time consuming. The myriad of decisions that you will have to make range from choosing the type of apartment, broker or no broker, access to neighborhood amenities, etc. In short, the process can often be strenuous and stress-inducing for many Manhattan renters. And when you consider the fact that many of the more desirable rentals do not appear on the market until mere weeks before an anticipated move-in date (that is, if they appear on the market at all), the metaphorical race to arrive at a dream apartment for rent in Manhattan is one more suited for the seasoned sprinters than the recreational joggers.