Where international students should actually search

Begin with three groups of channels: your school or alumni channels, public listing platforms, and community sublet groups. For NYC specifically, StreetEasy, RentHop, official building websites, leasing offices, and verified school groups are the strongest starting points.

Social platforms are useful for neighborhood impressions and scam warnings, but they should not be your only source. Before paying, return to the formal listing, the leasing office, the broker license, the landlord’s identity, the lease, and a written fee list.

StreetEasy is especially relevant to NYC. In other US cities, renters lean more on Zillow, Apartments.com, Realtor, local platforms, and property-management websites. Wherever you search, confirm who represents the landlord or broker before any money changes hands.