About ReRentalAlert

How re-rentals work

Most affordable apartments in NYC are first rented through the housing lottery: you apply during an application window, get a random log number, and wait.

A re-rental is what happens after that. When a tenant moves out of an affordable unit, the unit doesn't go back into a lottery. The building's marketing agent or nonprofit manager re-lists it, usually on their own site or application board, and it's typically offered first-come, first-served to the first eligible applicant. No log numbers, no drawing. Just speed.

The process, step by step:

1. An affordable unit becomes vacant when a tenant moves out.
2. The building's agent or nonprofit posts it as a re-rental on their own listings page.
3. Eligible renters apply through the official posting, usually an online form or application link on the source's site.
4. The first qualified applicant in line gets the unit. Good re-rentals can be claimed within hours of posting.

That's the whole game: there is no application window to wait for. If you hear about a re-rental days after it posts, it's already gone.

ReRentalAlert is a re-rental service, not a lottery service. We don't track lottery drawings or log numbers. We track the units that go to whoever gets there first.

New to affordable housing? Our guides explain what AMI means and how to apply, in plain language.

How it works

One search across every source. Alerts when a match comes back.

1. 01

   We watch the sources

   12 NYC housing sources checked around the clock, every day. When a previously rented apartment is listed again, we catch it.

2. 02

   You set your filters

   Bedrooms, rent range, boroughs, household size. Save a search and we watch it for you.

3. 03

   You get the alert first

   Re-rentals move fast, often first come first served. Get your matches in a weekly digest, or upgrade for instant email alerts the moment a match is verified.

Why a tracker matters

Re-rentals are scattered. 12 different nonprofits and agencies each post re-rentals on their own sites: NYCHDC, Reside, MGNY, Pronto Housing, the NYC Housing Partnership, St. Nicks Alliance, and more (full list). Nobody can watch all of them, around the clock, by hand.

Our tracker does. It re-checks every source continuously, and the moment a listing matching your filters posts, you get pinged. Premium members get instant email alerts; everyone else gets a weekly digest. Instead of finding out days later, you're first in line.

For lotteries, an alert is a convenience. You have weeks to apply. For re-rentals, the alert is the product. Hours matter.

One honest limitation: we can't make you eligible for a unit, we can't hold one for you, and we can't hurry a leasing office. What we can do is make sure you're among the first to know it exists.

Every listing links to the official source page where it was posted: the nonprofit's or agency's own site. That's where you apply. We never take applications ourselves, and neither we nor any legitimate source charges you to apply.

Why trust it

Re-rentals, from the official sources. Nothing else.

Official sources only

Every listing links back to the housing provider or agency that published it. We never invent listings and we never scrape random classifieds.

Re-rentals, not lotteries

We track apartments coming back on the market, not new lottery launches. If a listing is a waitlist or a lottery, we label it as one.

Free to start

Free to browse. Free weekly digest of new re-rentals. Premium unlocks instant alerts and more saved searches.

When you get an alert, move fast

The alert only helps if you can act on it in minutes. Get your paperwork ready before the right unit appears:

• Keep a folder, paper or digital, with recent pay stubs, last year's tax return, a photo ID for each adult in the household, and proof of your current address.
• Know your household size and annual income cold, so you can check a listing's income band in seconds.
• When the alert lands, open the official source link and apply right away. Don't wait for the evening.
• Never pay anyone to apply. Applying is always free through the official source.

Be ready

When your match appears, apply that day.

Re-rentals reward the prepared. Keep these ready so a match never waits on paperwork:

• Recent pay stubs
• Last tax return
• Photo ID
• Proof of current address

See the full go-bag checklist

Who we are

ReRentalAlert started as a personal script. I was watching an affordable-housing availability board for re-rentals myself, got tired of checking it by hand, and wrote a script that watched it for me and sent a message when something new appeared. I shared it publicly, and other apartment hunters started using it too.

That script grew into this service. Free to browse. Free weekly digest. Free Telegram Alerts; Premium adds filtered instant alerts.

The fine print

• Unofficial project. ReRentalAlert is not affiliated with HPD, HDC, NYC Housing Connect, or the City of New York.
• We never take applications. Every listing links out to the official source page, and you apply there.
• Applying to affordable housing is free. Anyone who asks you for money to apply, or to "reserve" a unit, is running a scam.
• Eligibility results are estimates. We do our best to match listings to your household, but the building's marketing agent makes the final call.