Although CUNY Law School does not provide dormitory facilities, the Office of Student Affairs does provide access to the abundance of housing options within easy commuting distance. The Office of Student Affairs also furnishes information about the surrounding neighborhoods, including roommate lists and listings by local landlords with available housing.
The Office of Student Affairs at the Law School serves as a clearinghouse for students looking for apartments. Area residents and landlords often list their apartments with the Student Affairs Office. The Office also compiles a roommate list and distributes New York City bus and subway maps. Students will find the Transit Authority’s Queens Bus Map to be especially helpful as a general-use local map. Contact Student Affairs by email at student_affairs@mail.law.cuny.edu or call (718) 340-4207.
Queens College’s Student Government Office Apartment Referral Service also lists available apartments and is accessible to CUNY Law students.
To use this service, students must show their CUNY School of Law student identification card or obtain a letter from the Office of Student Affairs. For more information, call (718) 997-3965
Dormitory and Hostel Services
Educational Housing Service (EHS) is a nonprofit dormitory service open to local, out-of-state and international students. EHS operates several safe and affordable dormitories in the historic landmark district of Brooklyn Heights and in Manhattan. Single units and shares are available on a semester-by-semester basis.
For rates and more information, contact EHS Student Housing Hotline at 1-800-297-4694 or visit them on the web at www.studenthousing.org.
Another transitional option is Manhattan’s Hostelling International-NY (formerly American Youth Hostel), located in a landmark Victorian Gothic-style building at 891 Amsterdam Avenue, close to Central Park and Columbia University. The Hostel provides temporary housing for as low as $35 per night (4 bed shared room). Photo identification and proof of out-of-state residency are required. Prospective residents cannot live in New York City or within fifty miles of New York City and must be willing to share a room with several others. Length of stay is generally no more than 27 days. For more information, call (212) 932-2300 or go to www.HInewyork.org . Email reserve@HInewyork.org . Visitors to the New York City area can log onto www.fodors.com for airport, hotel and dining information.
Newspapers
New York City’s daily and weekly newspapers regularly list apartment rentals in their classified or real estate sections. (Wednesday and Sunday issues contain the most listings.) Students seeking apartments in Queens will find Newsday, the Queens Tribune and the Flushing Times to be particularly useful. In addition, the New York Times, Daily News and the Village Voice list apartments in all five boroughs and the outlying suburbs.
Real Estate Brokers
Students are advised to avoid using real estate brokers
since they usually charge a finder’s fee. Instead, try to deal directly with
landlords or apartment owners. However, if you are using a broker, be sure to
specify that you are interested in seeing only “no-fee” or “fee-paid”
apartments. If you must pay a fee, pay no more than the equivalent of one
month’s rent. Real estate brokers can be found in the classified or real estate
sections of New York newspapers.
Public Transportation
The Metropolitan Transit Authority, which operates New York City buses and subways, and railroad service to New York’s Long Island and Westchester suburbs and Connecticut, has transit maps, schedules and other information on-line at http://www.mta.info
Legal Resources
If you have questions about your legal rights as a tenant, or if you think you may have been discriminated against, free Manhattan-based legal referral and counseling resources are available. They include Community Training Resource Center (212) 964-7200 and The City-wide Task Force on Housing Court (212) 982-5512.
