NYC Affordability

When a tenant’s own income doesn’t clear the 40x rule — common for students, new hires, or anyone with strong savings but thin recent income — a landlord may accept a guarantor instead: someone (often a parent) who signs the lease alongside the tenant and is legally responsible for rent if the tenant defaults. Because the guarantor isn’t the one living there, landlords typically demand a much higher income multiple to compensate — 80x the monthly rent is the common NYC standard, double the tenant standard.

Worked example

For a $3,000/month apartment, a guarantor would typically need to show $3,000 × 80 = $240,000/year in income, versus the $120,000/year a tenant applying alone would need at the standard 40x. Some guarantor companies (paid services that act as a professional guarantor) offer lower effective multiples for a fee — see the 40x rule guide for how those compare, or model a guarantor scenario directly on the Rent Calculator.