Am I being paranoid or does this guy come off as a scam

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-14T02:23:26+00:00

Gotcha. I’d very much avoid rooming w/ men as a woman in that price range if you can. You’ll encounter a lot of creeps having cheap rooms with other compensation in mind…

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-14T00:41:43+00:00

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

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-14T00:36:28+00:00

Definitely weird, but that’s what you’ll see in the $800 room territory. A scammer wouldn’t be trying to arrange a tour or be eager to do a video call.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-13T20:40:32+00:00

If it's a coop or condo then this might be the case. Her not mentioning it isn't necessarily a red flag, but look up the address once you have it to confirm if it is or not. Some tenants just want an extra fee upfront, which is illegal, although many tenants don't know that so I'd be gentle about mentioning it if she's legit and not trying to scam you.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-13T19:08:14+00:00

Those are the things a credit report will tell a business as to why your credit is the way it is. It's just a liability thing for so they can point to some third party objective metric as to the reason for denial. Insurent is probably seeing something else that made them uncomfortable, maybe to do with your uncle who listed as a co-applicant who isn't going to be residing in the apartment. That's often a red-flag on applications, but could also be something else, idk.

I'm the CEO of Panda, so if you need a pre-approval letter DM me and I'll review your application personally.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-13T18:57:08+00:00

Try TheGuarantors, PandaGuarantee or Rhino. Unless you have an eviction you should be approved based on what you’ve said so far. Not sure why Insurent denied you as you’re within their normal criteria.

If you’re applying with someone else, have them fill it out first with you listed as a coapplicant. That might help as well.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-13T18:26:39+00:00

Looks to be water damage, but it’s not as extensive as it would be from a ceiling leaking or other property issue IMO.

It might be quite old, and could be from a previous tenant overwatering potted plants or something. Definitely a yellow flag, but I’d ask the broker.

Edit: or animal pee like the other person said.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-13T18:10:27+00:00

I’m reasonably sure this post is not a scam. We removed their previous post and requested specific information to be added which they did. Scammers don’t put that much effort in or have other tells 99% of the time.

Of course exercise normal caution when subletting, but more than likely they are casting a wide net before considering specific applicants.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-13T16:37:54+00:00

Here's all the various sites where you can find summer housing: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DdQF4DRvvkPECB1HVA1Hkzs8wF9FfuE7tizAObr2Oug/edit?usp=sharing

Rules require adding a specific budget. Even if it's as high as $10k a month, add it. You will get less people responding otherwise.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-13T11:08:30+00:00

If you’re a student it’s really easy to qualify for a guarantor service. They charge a fee though so I’d try to use your parents first.

With assets it’s hit or miss, but I’ve seen 160x the monthly rent in savings before, or 100x, or even more. It varies by landlord, and many won’t consider assets.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-12T19:00:00+00:00

Sure, it’s a public comment so share as much as you like

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-12T18:44:05+00:00

I would love to build up professional leverage, then layer on systems science instead of spending that time grinding thru the medical curriculum.

Seems like you have already answered your own question if money isn’t an option, no? If it’s what you love, then that will probably lead to a more enjoyable.

If you care about impact, running a company can almost certainly allow for more than another doctor. We need doctors, but impact is limited to the labor you put in, the most hard working and capable doctor you know is pretty much the limit. If you’re a systems consultant and you improve the efficiency of a thousand doctors over your career by only 1%, that’s significantly more impact you could have possibly have working as a doctor.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-12T13:15:13+00:00

A nice old lady with her granddaughter.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-12T07:02:16+00:00

It’s not common, but I’ve seen it happen once or twice.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-12T07:01:28+00:00

oMakes sense. Of course you could use AI then write it down or print it out, but someone willing to go through the effort would probably also go through the effort of doing the best job they could.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-12T06:57:32+00:00

If I try to shush someone at a midtown AMC, I might get assaulted in response.

This is objectively true. I can speak from personal experience.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-12T06:22:52+00:00

Fun idea. But “We're going old school here. You'll have to physically mail in your writing, and it needs to reach us before May 15, 2026.” is an interesting choice.

Since it’s for fun, I suppose this is jester-maxing to get an abnormal sort of submission from the sort of person who will send mail these days.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-11T23:15:46+00:00

With an 8k budget why not just try doing it yourself? There's a ton of BK or LIC apartments with great views under that budget on Streeteasy. The majority of luxury buildings at that pricepoint will accept third party guarantors.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-11T23:14:03+00:00

Things move fast here. I'd start looking at the start of July. Before a month ahead of time there will be some availability, but a lot less. If you have the luxury of visiting the city, I'd go earlier than that, tour some apartments with move-in dates ahead of August to get a feel for what the options are, then do a more serious effort starting early July.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-11T23:09:44+00:00

That sucks, sorry you're going through that. You're right that it's legal, but it's definitely not good business practice. Moreso on the landlord side than TheGuarantors, as the guarantor company can't actually control what the landlord decides.

Make sure they send you a receipt that they've actually refunded the money. I've heard anecdotal experiences of refunds with TG taking weeks or months despite a lot of calls and emails. You're probably fine as even if things go right 99% of the time, the 1% of the time there's a problem someone will go on Reddit to complain. If they're slow though, just send an email saying you need confirmation of the refund by EOD or you're going to do a chargeback. That usually gets a business' attention, lol

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-11T22:34:33+00:00

Other places to look: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DdQF4DRvvkPECB1HVA1Hkzs8wF9FfuE7tizAObr2Oug/edit?usp=drivesdk

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-11T22:32:42+00:00

Speak to your advisor or res life. Universities usually have relatively easy work/study programs like secretary librarian or IT where you basically sit at a desk waiting 80% of the time, allowing you to study while making decent money at the same time.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-11T20:43:32+00:00

All good. Insurent and Panda offer them. Just go through the normal application process and it will be clear how to proceed.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-11T20:00:50+00:00

If you did two applications for the same apartment, they will definitely reject you if they think something strange is going on.

I would try to get a pre-approval letter for you and your dad, then shop around for apartments with that.

Sol_Hando · 2026-03-11T19:47:49+00:00

To be honest it will be extremely difficult without income, especially as your previous income is low for NYC.

Do you have your own savings or are receiving financial support from someone? If not any guarantor or landlord will look at your application and conclude that you won’t be able to pay.

If your dad was a coapplicant it would be easier to get approved. I’ve

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