The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-02-25
CITY RENTS.
The System Of Letting Houses and
Apartments in New York.
GRADUAL REDUCTION OF PRICES.
What Boarding Houses Can and
Boarders Must Afford.
FRENCH FLATS TO BE PREFERRED

The Now York custom Of May moving, while II has
its disadvantages rs advantages. Our people
generally regulate their style Of living according to
their means their business prosperity Clerks and
young business content with floor part Of
floor in good neighborhood while mechanics and
others OF limited income are compelled to accept sim.
liar accommodations In the squad streets and
sirabIe localities Only people owning their own
houses possessed OF large means can anord the
luxury Of whole house. Ten years ago. when rents
we're exerbtant beyond anything ever known In this
city, was next TO Impossible 10 get even part OF
house 1t TO live in reasonable figure The upper floor
OF the house, No. Eighteenth street, between Eighth
and Ninth avenues, rented for $40 per month,
furnished. and q front room and bedroom, with base
mcnt kitchen In the Of the house tho opposite
side Of the street-a very inferior structure
without either gas other con enthusiastically
brought $33 TO tho landlord second floor could not
be had for less than $50, except In undesirable
neghborhood, and whole house unfinished was
considered cheap ut anywhere between $1,000 and
$4,000 pcr annum. These enormous rents told fear
fully tho pockets oil housekeepers, and May ap
preached each year they secured the city in search
OF better quarters and cheaper homes Many families
abandoned housekeeping altogether, determined TO
submit the miserles Of boarding house rather than
work from the beginning to the end OF tho year Tor
the landlords. At tho same time houses above
Forty-sccond street, both the cast and the west
sides, built after the "Frcnch fiat system" and
The multiplication of superior accommodations
began be felt In their effects, both
upon landlords and tenants. Inconvenient floors
we're abandoned for better ones, or retained only
NJ lower rents For 1--WE years At least these tenden.
ces have been operating with good effect and last
year the opposition TO exorbitant demands was so
pronounced that many houses and parts Of houses
stood empty until far into the summer Already
similar opposition has been manifested for the coming
season, and still further reduction IN rents for all
classes OF tonemenls is inevitable.
In inquirng into the rates dema nded for furnished
houses a stranger would be appalled, ut the prices
pamcd alter the repeated reductions of the last
Eve years. Among the houses now TO lot is four
story high stoop brown stone house Twenty second
street, between Broadway and Fourth avenue. for
which a rental Of $3.50 per month is demanded For
furnished house at the corner OF Lexington avenue
and Thirty street the rent is $3.50 per month.
house d. to live IN at all cannot DO found any part
OF the city Tor SIPS, which much almost any
afford to pay Houses are offered IN the blocks
adjacent tho Fifth Hotel at figures ranging
all the way from 81, 900 to $4,000 per annum. In last
Sundays HERALD the rents asked for furnished houses
were as iolows:--
Thrtyh street, Fifth avenue. .......$2O 900
Twcnty-s street, near ST. James Hote..... 400
Twenty eighth and Forty second streets. 700
Thirty first and Thirty fifth streels......... 5000
Twcuty.nInth street $500
Twenty ninth and Fifty third streets ......... 1000
Twenty-secon street, between Broadway and
Fourth Avehue.... ......................... 200
Twenty second street 800
Few persons able to pay such rents as these would
10 live in hired house at all, except an emcr.
gency, ana 1t Is well known that furnished houses are
mostly lot to people contemplating a temporary So
1uurn I'm
seen however, that the rents demanded preclude all
possibility of profit and this class of houses changes
bands constantly, the landlords losing more money in
tho shape Of accrued rent or by having their premises
unoccupieG during part of the year, than they would
lose II they reduced their taxing price fifty per cent
below their asking price
An EXAMPLE AND AN ILLUSTRATION
Let illustrate tho truth OF this remark BY an OK.
ample. A gentleman owning house partly furnished
IN Fourteenth street, between seventh and Eighth
blocks the city, let It last May Tor 81 OOO He OBJ
tanned tho first months rent advance, and subse-
small sums probably $500 II Will be seen that Tor
the lirst SIX months he lost more than half Of the
and alter obtaining the rent Tor November Deccn
Der there another chapter OF accidents. In
qucnce Of which he has received nothing the rst
January anu the house is again 10 let" Applying
business principles TO this house. 1t is easy to how
failed. IL kept as boarding house, and during
the summer months its highest income STA per
week. In the winter with every room in the house
occupied by regularly paying DO o0arders, The weekly
att expenditures Tor "a month";
Board pa,d by lodgers tour and half weeks. $4o5 90
Paid Tor rent.... $l66 81
Paid for ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. - 90
Provisions, 50 per day. ............. 40 90
Scrvauts.. .'.............. 30 OO- 494 OF
This house apparently paying its way; but 1t
be forgotten that the foregoing statement Includes
nothing Tor Incidental expenses, ana that empty
room Tor a week would be rum Hail the board
ing houses IN New York to-day arc run upon this
principle, those generous people, tho boarding touse
keepers paying tor tho privilege OF providing food and
shelter TOR others.
uNruRXIsHxD HOUSES
hot "a or ho rpu cd FIR fur-
nisncd and unurnshed houses Is not great light
be imagined The following Is oil tho lists offered
last week -
lrH ST., NEAR 5TH Av., $. BROWN srONE.s2.OoO
UiSh st., near irving paSe story brick. 2g0
26th 4th story brick 1900
ash st. Madison aud 4ih story brown stone 100
:h st.. Msdison and 4th story brown 1000
3h tth and Lexiugton story brick. 500
sd broadway and 5h av. story brick 1900
s7b ST. lie xinston avs s.ory brown stone 1000
Syh st.. 20 and 3D. story brown stone 90
5sth IT., 4h aud lexington, story brown stone 300
These rates, although they much lower than the
prices which would have been asked three or four
years ago. still exceedingly hgh but It Els note
worthy that three houses Of the number placed
low 1000. Unlil last year not house offered ut
= rate Even the announcement little cottages in
Twenty fourth street, IN tho rear OF the London ter
race. hired Tor 5000 and 81 ,OO0 Now, $500
500 Is all they will BRING and the superior houses
she same block rcuting for less than 81 ,OOO a
house which brought 200 IN 1872 let Tor $500 now
and another which formerly brought 81 500 down
$500 The thing true OF houses all the ada.
cent streets while up town the reduction has been
greater An instance Is gwen oil house on the
Boulevard At Mabatauve, which In 1874 was let for
O., 500 and goes begging al $500 The present
not yet so lar advanced as 10 fix the rates
aehutey ana, although many VI the agents are asking
last years rents Tor houses which nave been empty all
winter, there are no takers
FURNISHED APARTMENTS
one OF the difficulties Ia the way Of reduction OF
rents the scarcity furnished apartments. During
s0k nf t.e Hsu Al ma n