Between January transplants and summer interns, I keep hearing the same question: I’m flying in for one weekend and trying to see five apartments—what do I actually bring? The answer is not just a pay stub. You should carry a folder with hard copies and a single PDF on your phone of the following: two or three recent pay stubs, two to three months of bank statements, a photo ID, and a letter from your employer or a recent tax return. If you have a guarantor, bring their documents too, even if you don’t think you’ll need them, because a broker will ask for them the moment your income falls under the building’s threshold.

Also bring your own pen, a blank application or two if the listing agent has a generic form, and a money order if you’re hunting in deep Brooklyn or Queens because some smaller landlords still won’t do online application fees. If you have a pet, include vaccination records and a reference from a previous landlord, even if it feels silly; it can move you ahead of three other people with the same credit score.

One more caution: do not pre-pay anything except the application fee until you have seen the unit and confirmed the broker actually represents the landlord. I’d also make sure every adult over 18 who will live there has their own document packet, because a missing roommate’s ID can kill an otherwise accepted application.

Oh wow, I’m literally flying in Friday night. I’ve got my pay stubs on ADP and my bank statements in an app. Do open houses actually let you give them a PDF, or are they really going to make me print? Also, my roommate hasn’t done any of this. Should he come with me? And do I need to bring a check for the application fee or can I Venmo? Thanks for this.

Most brokers will say they want paper, then flip to “text me the PDF” as soon as you’re outside the door. So yes, print if you can, but PDF is fine 80% of the time. Do not Venmo a fee before you see the place. If your roommate’s name is going on the lease, they better show up or have their docs sent ahead, otherwise the agent will just skip you for someone who isn’t a paperwork headache.

Flatbush_Fi is right about the PDF/pay issue. To DykerNewbie: yes, your roommate should either come with hard copies or email you everything ahead of time. The last thing you want is to be standing in a fourth-floor walk-up while the agent says “income will be combined, but I need his driver’s license right now” and he is not picking up.

On the payment: I would not Venmo an application fee unless the person showing the apartment can show you they’re a licensed agent and the payment goes to the brokerage, not a personal handle. Many places will take a credit card through a portal, but smaller landlords still ask for a money order or certified check. It’s not a red flag by itself. It is a red flag if they want a “deposit” to take the listing off the market before you’ve been approved, or if the fee amount changes based on how many people are standing there.

Bring a folder in this order so you can produce it fast:

• Photo ID
• Last three pay stubs
• Last two or three bank statements (PDFs are fine for starters)
• Employment letter or offer letter
• Pet records if relevant
• A blank money order or two, if you’re touring in the outer boroughs

If you’re applying the old-school way, sometimes they want a separate application from every adult. Don’t leave without a receipt for any fee.

Also at open houses, if you really want a place, don’t just hand over the folder and leave. Ask who’ll be reviewing applications and when. In this market, most people are rejected because the agent didn’t actually submit their packet to the landlord, not because the credit was bad. The receipts thing is real—especially for money orders.

Update: I went to two open houses. The first one wouldn’t take my roommate’s upload because his bank statement was a screenshot from his bank app. The agent asked for a PDF and then said a cash app payment was fine for the application fee, which I passed on. The second place was a third-floor walk-up. The agent seemed cool, but she said someone else’s name is still on the lease and I’d move in as a “roommate” before getting added later. Is that normal? I don’t want to lose it.

DykerNewbie, do not move in as an un-named “roommate” with a promise to add you later. That’s exactly how people end up on here in a panic. There’s a whole thread on it: Roommate didn't put me on the lease; he's moving out and the landlord wants a 'broker fee' plus market rent — Roommate didn’t put me on the lease; he’s moving out and the landlord wants a “broker fee” plus market rent. If your name isn’t on the lease, you’re not protected the same way, and the broker isn’t doing you a favor by keeping it off.

I read the thread you linked. Yikes. The agent in my case said the leaseholder is staying—main leaseholder’s name, I guess—so maybe it’s different? But I told her I won’t sign anything without my name on it. Now she says the landlord can do a “co-occupant” form. Is that a real thing? Also, thanks for the money order info. Her assistant said a money order for the application fee is normal.

DykerNewbie, a co-occupant or occupant form can be real, but it is not the same as being on the lease. Some landlords use it for adults who live in the unit but aren’t legally responsible for rent. Others use it to keep you off the lease so they can later claim you’re a subtenant or guest. Ask two questions in writing: (1) Does the landlord or management company acknowledge me as a lawful occupant and will they sign the form before I pay? (2) If the leaseholder later moves out, do I have the right to continue or renew, or will I have to re-qualify at a new “market” rent? If they won’t put that in writing, you already have an answer.

The application fee money order is fine if it’s made out to the landlord, management company, or brokerage named on the listing—not to a “Lease Coordinator” personally. Get a receipt, and don’t hand it over until you’ve seen the unit.

Flatbush_Fi’s earlier point about making sure your packet actually gets submitted is huge. Follow up by email the same afternoon, confirm the application was passed to the landlord, and ask for a timeline. The people who follow up aren’t being annoying; they’re the ones who get the apartment.

Good advice. The “co-occupant” form can be meaningless unless the landlord signs it, and even then, it doesn’t give you renewal rights. Make sure the lease, or an addendum, names you. There’s too many situations where someone paid rent for two years and got locked out when the leaseholder dipped. Also, if the assistant is using a personal number for “application fee,” I’d check the payee.

Thank you both. I asked for the written confirmation and the agent got quiet, so I’m passing on the co-occupant thing. Now I’m only applying to places where both me and my roommate are on the original lease. It’s a little more expensive somewhere because one building wants a broker fee, but the other has no fee and is closer to the R. I’m going to ask for the same day follow-up. Appreciate the blunt advice, seriously.