How I won a two-bedroom apartment for $3,500 through NYC’s housing lottery
- Audrey Neri and her boyfriend won a two bedroom for the same rent as their former one bedroom
- She estimates that she applied for more than 100 lottery apartments before she was chosen
Audrey and her boyfriend decked out their apartment with art and plants.
Photo courtesy Audrey Neri
Audrey Neri moved to New York City to attend college and she began applying to NYC’s housing lottery after she graduated. Three years later, she and her boyfriend won a two-bedroom, two-bath unit in Clinton Hill. Her new place is $3,500 per month—the same rent they paid for a previous one bedroom that was half the size. Here’s her story as told to senior writer Celia Young.
I moved here seven years ago to start school and I've lived here ever since. I’ve lived all over Manhattan and Brooklyn—I’ve moved almost every year. Ever since I’ve started working, I’ve applied to the housing lottery.
Winning this apartment really made an impact on my life. My boyfriend and I are more intentional with everything we buy because we know we’ll be here for a long time. We're a lot more comfortable and proud of the furniture and the art we have, and we have a lot more people over now.
It just makes me happy because I have lived in places that were really bad—roach-infested, deteriorating buildings. It’s the best feeling to come home and have a place that you feel is entirely your vision.
[Editor’s note: Brick Underground's Inside Stories features first-person accounts of dramatic, real-life New York City real estate experiences. Have a story to share? Drop us an email. We respect all requests for anonymity.]
Apply, apply, apply
I work in the creative department of a fashion brand, mostly doing art direction and graphic design. I’ve been applying consistently for a few years for every unit for which I'm eligible. It's crazy—my brother won [a lottery apartment] two years ago. That inspired me because I know it's possible to win.
I was selected for a lottery about two years ago, but it didn’t work out because [my then-partner and I] weren’t living together. That also showed me it was possible to be selected.
In September, just after I moved in with my boyfriend for the first time, we were selected for this lottery.
We spent about a month submitting paperwork and waiting to hear back. It was a lot of paperwork, but I expected that from the first time I was selected. (For that lottery, I was even asked for Venmo statements.)
We moved at the end of November, just two months after we moved in together.
Double the space for the same price
The building has large units, which was really surprising for me. It’s double the size of our last apartment in Clinton Hill. Now we’re about 10 minutes away but still in Clinton Hill. I’m really happy about that—I would have been very sad to leave the neighborhood.
The apartment is 886 square feet and $3,500 per month, which is the same rent we paid for the one bedroom. We split the rent evenly, and it’s pretty great.
Designing a space together
My boyfriend is really into interior design and furniture. We know that we'll be here for a long time so we feel like we can really buy things that will last. We're also doing some renter-friendly upgrades, like new curtains and changing the fixtures. It's been a fun project for us, and I love living with him so much because I've been living with roommates for a long time. We are able to create our own space.
My favorite piece of furniture is my desk. It’s a vintage desk that we bought from a set designer. It was in an HBO show and is from the 1950s. I love collecting things that have history.
Having a place for friends and music
My apartment has definitely become a spot for my friend group to hang out. I’m in a band and having this extra room is really nice because my band can make music here. Previously, we rented space, so this has become a nice spot to play music.
Our band is called “The Girls Upstairs.” We’ve only been playing for a year, but we’re in the process of recording our songs, and we write and record everything ourselves.
Advice for other applicants
It’s definitely possible to win an apartment, and consistency is really key. I must've applied to over 100 lotteries before I got this one. But I feel like if you really want it and you’re consistent about applying, eventually it’s totally possible to be selected.
It’s important to have your paperwork ready ahead of time—like bank statements. Also: stay very organized and make sure you understand how to break a lease.
That was one of the hardest parts of the process for me because the landlord wouldn't let me break the lease without finding another tenant to take my place. I looked really hard to find someone to take my apartment and I was only able to find somebody at the very last minute.
