If you think that living in London’s tiny and cramped apartments is bad, wait till you’ve gone apartment hunting in New York—you ain’t seen nothing yet!
The co-founders of the New York City Realtor TikTok account shared a now-viral set of videos where they toured the “Worst Apartment Ever” in NYC. It’s minuscule. It’s darn expensive. And it’s making us pity New Yorkers a bit too hard.
Just like us, you’re probably thinking, “Wait a minute… where’s the bathroom?” Well, that’s the hilarious thing—there’s no toilet or shower in the apartment. In fact, the bathroom situation needed its very own TikTok video to detail how absurd things are. Ready to feel extremely happy about your current living situation, no matter where you are? Let’s go!
The New York City Realtor TikTok account is run by co-founder and creator Cameron Knowlton and co-founder Tatum Kelly. In an interview with Bored Panda, the pair drew attention to the fact that they don't set the prices of the apartments and, in this case, don't represent the landlord. They've got some great videos lined up in the future, so be sure to follow their channel, @newyorkcityrealtor, on TikTok. In the meantime, read on for their insights about the apartment situation in NYC and for their awesome videos. At the time of writing, the "Worst Apartment Ever" video has over a whopping 20 million views.
Cameron and Tatum toured a New York City apartment that is so tiny, Harry Potter would invite you to stay over in his cupboard under the stairs
Image credits: newyorkcityrealtor
It's extremely small and so expensive, it really isn't worth your hard-earned cash
Image credits: newyorkcityrealtor
Image credits: newyorkcityrealtor
Image credits: newyorkcityrealtor
The apartment lacks the basic necessities. Like an oven... or a bathroom!
Image credits: newyorkcityrealtor
Image credits: newyorkcityrealtor
"The landlord sent us their availability and when we saw the price point for the location we knew we had to go see it. Believe it or not, before the virus this building was usually at full occupancy. While COVID has affected occupancy and pricing, there are still tons of people looking to move. This past November, usually one of the slowest months of the year, had a record number of leases signed," Cameron and Tatum explained to Bored Panda.
It's no secret that New York is one of the most expensive cities in the entire world. According to the duo, for context, "to qualify for an apartment, tenants are expected to make 40X the monthly rent on an annual basis." Mind-boggling? Mind-boggling!
"This apartment is very inexpensive for NY. However, it is 'The Worst Apartment' because it's not a good deal compared to other options in the city that are just a couple hundred more," the co-founders of the New York City Realtor TikTok account said, also sharing some great advice on where to get a bargain. "The further north, the better the value. So the Upper East Side and Upper West Side will get you the most bang for your buck. Outside of Manhattan, parts of the other boroughs like Brooklyn and Queens can be more affordable."
While New York apartments tend to be far smaller than in the rest of the US and other parts of the world, this particular apartment was the smallest one that Cameron and Tatum have ever seen.
"The location is the main reason the apartment is priced as expensive as it is, given the size. NY is a densely populated city with incredibly high demand."
Need to use the bathroom? You're going to have to leave your apartment and share the toilet with your neighbors
Image credits: newyorkcityrealtor
Image credits: newyorkcityrealtor
The same goes for the shower! Hope you like waiting in line every time you want to feel civilized
Image credits: newyorkcityrealtor
Check out the full version of the first TikTok video right here
And here's the follow-up that shows the bathroom situation
The initial video got over a whopping 2.6 million likes, was reshared 113.9k times, and got more than 41.2k comments on TikTok. Yes, it’s a real apartment. Yes, it’s so tiny, even Harry Potter’s cupboard under the Dursleys’ stairs seems roomier. And, yes, at 1,650 dollars per month, it’s totally not worth the price tag.
To be fair, the apartment does look clean and tidy. But for that price, you’d expect chandeliers and at least one or two butlers/maids at your door, even if proper legroom is out of the question.
Sure, you could call the apartment ‘quaint’ and see the upside that you’d get to know your neighbors really well while waiting in line with them to use the communal bathroom.
But let’s be honest, if you’re paying that much money each month, you’re certainly not a student and not a starving artist. If you’ve got $1,650 to spend on rent each month, at least go for something that has a normal kitchen. And your very own bathroom that you won’t have to share with your neighbors during a global pandemic! Or you could move out of NYC and get a ranch somewhere out in the countryside, far away from all the hustle and bustle of modern life.
Business Insider points out that New York City has a booming job market and the world’s largest urban economy which both lead to high prices, as well as wealthy residents. However, there’s a flip side to this. 1.5 million New Yorkers live below the poverty line which means that they have to either live in low-quality apartments, far away from their jobs which makes commuting to work a nightmare, or they end up spending far too much of their hard-earned cash on rent.
New York City might be called The Big Apple, but when you’re done paying your landlord, odds are, you might not be able to afford a large bag of fruit.
Here's what people have been saying about the apartment situation in NYC after watching the two videos
