The Right Apartment for Me – Walk Up vs Doorman/Elevator

It’s June, and your lease is up by July 1. You’ve always lived in a doorman/elevator building, but are now considering a walk-up. You’ve heard some horror stories, but aren’t sure. What are some factors to worry about? Well, have no fear, we at RentHop will dissect the differences and try to assign a monetary value to them. In fact, one of the co-founders recently moved into a walk-up after having spent 4-years in a luxury high-rise – so he’ll be sharing his views.

1) Doorman – How necessary is the doorman? Well, let’s see what a doorman provides:

Pros

• Taking packages – Probably the main value of the doorman. Few of us have the luxury of physically taking packages while at home. And most of us don’t like having our packages sent to work or needing to pick them up at the local post office. Have no fear, the doorman is here. Not only does he take packages, but he also deals with deliveries from Fresh Direct or Poland Springs. Definitely valuable.
• Lost Keys +Lockouts – Ever been locked out and need to ring your neighbors or hire a locksmith? Definitely not fun. Maybe you have an extra set around the office, but having a doorman to let you in is a huge positive, especially for those of us with bad memories.
• Easy Guest Access – You never want to leave your keys under the doormats. I mean, this is NYC after all. A doorman takes care of this. You can leave your guest’s information, and the doorman will let them in – hassle free.
• Helping With Bags – If you’re not a heavy traveler, you might use this service three or four times a year. Not too significant.
• Security – Probably the least important reason to have a doorman. In most apartment units with a locked outer door, there is a very slim chance something bad happens. And to be honest, if some guy shows up with a pistol, there’s not too much a doorman can do.

Cons

• Higher Rent – For a full-time doorman building, you’re looking at an extra $100 – $200 dollars. That’s ~ $1,200 to $2,400 a year. Is that worth it to you?
• Year-End Tips – Aside from the higher rents, you’ll have to deal with the year-end tip. OK, if you’re a complete cheap-skate, you might decide not to tip. There’s nothing the doormen can really do (except give you dirty glares behind your back). However, if you’re a normal New Yorker, depending on the # of doormen and the size of your building, you’ll probably put up $50-100 bucks/doorman or porter.
• Awkwardness – Do you really want someone keeping tabs on your life? Your doorman will know a lot about you, including who comes in and out, your work schedule (and party schedule). Probably not too bad, unless you decided not to leave a tip at all.

How much should you value a doorman? On average, a doorman building will be between $100 – 200 dollars more expensive. This doesn’t include the customary tip on the holidays. Look forward to spending an extra $2,200 for a doorman building.

2) Elevator – Are elevators all they’re cut out to be? So first off, except for the higher costs, there is very little downside to having an elevator. Obviously, an elevator is necessary for most buildings > 5 floors (since only the ultimately athletic will ever want to live on the 6th or 7th floor of a walk-up). For buildings < 5 floors, you might benefit slightly during the move-in or move-out process. If you have a lot of “stuff,” or you’re moving to a large apartment, this might be an issue. Remember, though, that you can always hire movers if you need to. Aside from that, needing to walk 2-3 floors isn’t really as much of an issue as most people think. On the other hand, if you have a baby and need to carry around a carriage, this might be annoying. An elevator might add $50 dollars to your rent – so decide if that’s worth it to you.

Other Things To Worry About

1) Cable/Internet Problems – Newer buildings have better cable/internet infrastructure and wiring. For some walk-ups, you might have haphazardly laid out cables that go onto the roof or into the basement. Routine building maintenance might knock out your cable/internet (which is painful in this day and age).

2) AC – A decent majority of older buildings don’t have built-in ACs. In fact, even some doorman/elevator buildings don’t. This has more to do with the building age than anything else. Not having AC in New York is a killer, especially into the humid summer months. If your building doesn’t have AC, make sure your windows can support one (or if not, you’ll have to get a portable AC unit).

3) Hot Water Issues – Depending on how many people live in the building, your building may have a smaller than normal water boiler/heater. As a result, you might run out of hot water late into the night. Rare this would happen, but beware!