What Utilities Are Included in the Rent in NYC?
Asking what utilities are included in the rent is a very common question if you are a new renter in New York City. For most New Yorkers, heat and hot water are the two utilities which are included in the rent. Most leases include this information. If the leases does not mention it, you should ask to make sure.
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What Utilities are NOT Included in the Rent in NYC?
Knowing what utilities are included in the rent will help you best understand better your monthly expenses Fortunately, when you move in you usually don’t have to worry about heat and hot water, but you do have to set up your other utilities and put them in your name. Here is a list of some utilities which are NOT included in the rent.
Cable/Internet:. Are these utilities included in the rent?
You need to pay for your own cable/internet. This utility is usually not included in the rent. When you move in, you should set up accounts with the cable company for internet and/or TV (FIOS, RCN, Time Warner)
Electric and Gas: Are these utilities included in the rent?
You need to pay your own electric and gas. This utility is usually not included in the rent. When you move in, you should set up an account with the local gas and electric company (usually Con Ed). Note that with Con Ed, the previous tenant has to first notify Con Ed to turn off their service. Sometimes if the previous tenant forgets, the service may not go in your name for a few days until that is worked out. However, don’t worry. Con Ed will rarely turn off the electricity right away, so don’t stress to much about this. Note that for some buildings, “gas” is included too, but this is usually a very nominal monthly amount anyway.
Landline/Cell Phone: Are these utilities included in the rent?
Most people nowadays have their own cell phone account which is obviously not connected to any specific apartment. However, if you wish to get a landline phone in your apartment (more and more tenants are foregoing this option), then you should call the local phone company to install a phone line. This utility is not included in the rent.
NOTABLE EXCEPTION: ELECTRICAL HEATING. BE CAUTIOUS.
Heat and water utilities are included in the rent. However, while I have never seen tenants in NYC be charged for water I HAVE seen them charged for heat. Once in a while you may run across a building which has “electrical heating”. This is rare, but these buildings do exist. In these cases, YOU would be responsible to pay for heat. Since the heat is run using electricity, your electrical bill will be much higher.
This is a big deal. Your bill could be $100-$200 higher than expected, even sometimes much higher than this depending on how much heat you use. Electrical heating can usually be spotted because instead of radiators or HVACs in the apartment you may notice metal baseboards all around the apartment where the floor meets the wall. You should make sure you know whether or not your apartment has electrical heating BEFORE you sign the lease, as this could dramatically affect what your monthly costs are.
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This article was written by:
Phil Horigan, NYC Real Estate Veteran
Founder, Frēlē, the free and honest NYC rental marketplace
Producer, Phil’s NYC Rental Tips [YouTube Channel]
Blogger: flowfreely.com
Instagram: @philiphorigan
Phil has been a licensed NYC real estate agent since 2004 working for some of the top real estate brokerage firms in the industry. He founded Leasebreak.com in 2013, and Frēlē in 2017. Frēlē and Leasebreak are free and transparent rental marketplaces to search for or post apartments for rent in NYC
Go to frele.com to search for NYC apartments (free service).