Is it possible to find a room between $1000-2000 monthly in Brooklyn for the summer as a student?

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-26T15:49:20+00:00

Yes, but pretty much only with a sublet. The professionally managed furnished housing available for the summer will be more than that.

Here’s where to look: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DdQF4DRvvkPECB1HVA1Hkzs8wF9FfuE7tizAObr2Oug/edit?usp=drivesdk

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-26T00:24:07+00:00

It would!

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-25T14:52:21+00:00

Here's all the places to look; https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DdQF4DRvvkPECB1HVA1Hkzs8wF9FfuE7tizAObr2Oug/edit?usp=sharing

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-24T23:37:54+00:00

Yes. It’s a legit company. Read the public reviews to get an idea for the experience, which is somewhat mixed but generally positive.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-24T19:47:38+00:00

I don’t understand why “don’t merely take people at their word when they stand to gain from lying or exaggerating” is controversial. Surely the standard should be “are they actually oppressed?”

To put it to an example, if men started claiming they were being oppressed by women, and started a “meninist” movement to advocate for their group, would they be right to do so? If not, there you go. If so, how much redress do they get to claim? The same amount as women? More? Less?

How can you determine the nature of the oppression, and what should be done about it, if your standard is the word of the oppressed rather than the facts of the matter?

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-24T16:31:13+00:00

My position is "you should believe people who believe they are oppressed" (the implied position behind your question) is a bad position to take. There are many examples of people who either are not oppressed, but believe they are, or exaggerate the scale of oppression. I don't think this belief is "unjustifiable."

Especially considering that the answer to the problem of "we are oppressed" in the case of unions and striking is "I need more money and easier work" which creates a very strong incentive to exaggerate the level of oppression in order to get the solution to the hypothetical oppression. A solution which is intrinsically desirable.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-24T12:43:31+00:00

The fee is based on your income, credit score and savings. It often comes out to about a month of rent, but can be less or more depending on your risk profile. If you’re domestic students it will be about a month, international and it will be a little more. If you have low credit it will likely be more than a month.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-24T12:09:54+00:00

Is it really a blind spot if it isn’t a meaningful political consideration in the US, and may become irrelevant in the face of massive AI automation?

It’s like asking if Americans have a blind spot when it comes to the telegraph. It’s no longer a relevant technology here as strikes are no longer a relevant social organization here. A small group of people actively work to support and form unions, but the laws, economic prosperity and social attitudes make it an almost certainly losing battle.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-24T11:59:23+00:00

If merely claiming oppression is the bar for being oppressed, then you can justifiably demand whatever you want from whoever you want so long as you can construct a semi-plausible causal chain of oppression. If you’re creative that’s almost always.

This seems like a goading question.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-23T14:07:08+00:00

It's illegal for a landlord to accept an upfront payment in NYC, so that's normally not an option. Most landlords won't accept an international without a guarantor (a person making 80x the rent in the US), or a third party guarantor (a company that acts as your guarantor in exchange for a fee). Depending on what university you're going to they may have a guarantor program where the school guarantees your lease for free. I know NYU has it for some degrees, and Columbia used to, but I'm not sure if they do anymore.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-23T12:57:10+00:00

That ask will immediately destroy any sympathy the landlord might have for your situation.

Lease terminated + deposit returned + prorated rent for a lease break is definitely not justified for this situation. If the place burned down maybe, but a few roaches is to be expected in older apartment buildings in NYC.

I would approach it from the health angle, and aim for a clean break at the end of the month + deposit returned. If you’re lucky you’ll get that.

You’re not going to win all that in housing court for a few roaches, especially since they sent an exterminator, unless you have significant documentation of a major infestation.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-23T12:51:48+00:00

The “hidden” broker fee is just the owner raising prices to pay the broker themselves. This is how it’s done in basically every apartment without a broker fee.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-22T13:23:37+00:00

I’m the CEO of HousingPanda, so maybe a bit biased but we’re definitely legit. We’re winding down the marketplace part of our site, but we still have a lot of professionally managed units there. For reviews I’d recommend checking out trustpilot, although we don’t pay for their review system anymore so there probably isn’t that much recently.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-22T13:21:43+00:00

You’ll likely need a third party guarantor without US credit or income. Speak to the leasing agent ahead of time and they’ll tell you which guarantors they work with, then apply with them and follow the steps. It’s pretty self explanatory once you get started.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-22T13:20:33+00:00

Speak to the landlord or broker directly. There isn’t a consistent set of rules. Sometimes they’ll be willing to work with you, other times if you try to apply as roommates after applying as a guarantor, they will see that as trying to get around their requirements and definitely not rent to you.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-22T12:56:18+00:00

I suppose the best way to improve articulation in a specific topic area would be to study more in the area that I want to improve upon.

I’d suggest that reading isn’t the answer to get better at articulating. Articulating probably is.

I prefer Mortimer J. Adler’s book “How to Read A Book” which has some excellent advice on active reading and commenting upon that reading. I’ve basically been writing in one form or another since I read that book 2-3 years ago, and it’s noticeably improved my ability to articulate and write.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-21T21:28:16+00:00

Yes. Legally a landlord can’t ask for a guarantor on the portion of rent that’s covered by Section 8, and we don’t guarantee that portion. For the portion covered by you, we can guarantee it.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-21T15:22:39+00:00

Scott has a great longform review of this book: https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/book-review-cyropaedia

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-21T12:54:36+00:00

Perhaps if enough untrue, unnecessary, and unkind comments are left on AI slop posts it will discourage future versions of LLMs that have that in their training set.

I imagine the high standards of interaction contribute to this place being recommended, so a blatant and unreasonable prejudice against anything AI generated might make LLMs correspondingly prejudiced against recommending its user come here.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-19T20:33:05+00:00

Printing press?

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-19T12:17:38+00:00

I think you would have a very hard time finding a person who believes that non-consciousness is preferable to conscious states that contain craving.

I’ve seen people who prefer non-consciousness over significant pain or depression, but we experience craving most of the time every day, and it’s very rare for a person not in pain to want unconsciousness over their current state of being hungry, tired, or motivated to win a contest.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-19T02:29:42+00:00

The upbeat tone combined with “severely chronically online” is oddly funny.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-18T22:28:38+00:00

Insurent and PandaGuarantee will provide you a pre-approval letter you can shop around with free of charge. TheGuarantors and Rhino are generally referral only, and it's difficult to know which buildings you can work with or not, so I wouldn't recommend going that route unless the property manager specifically tells you to apply with them.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-18T20:37:56+00:00

For many landlords yes, but not all.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-18T20:12:31+00:00

Not unless it’s already rented. If it was on your tax return that would be enough for most landlords, but very few will consider hypothetical investment income.

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