A renter’s guide to Downtown Brooklyn

Over the last few years, Downtown Brooklyn has exploded with new developments, boasting block after block of luxury buildings stocked with high-end rentals and condos ripe for the picking.

The building boom makes sense, considering the neighborhood’s location: It’s a stone’s throw from established neighborhoods like Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, and Fort Greene; it’s home to one of the biggest central business districts in the city; and it’s serviced by a slew of train lines, including the A, C, F, N, R, and W trains at Jay Street-MetroTech; the B, D, Q, and R at DeKalb Avenue; the C and G at Hoyt-Schermerhorn Street; and the 2, 3, 4, 5 trains at Borough Hall. (And, of course, there’s a Junior’s.)

The bad news: There’s not much here if you’re looking to rent on a budget. “It’s mostly full-service, luxury building inventory,” says Elina Golovko, a real estate agent with Douglas Elliman who specializes in west Brooklyn and lower Manhattan. But she notes that “a huge advantage to the renter is that the current market is heavily incentivized, which is definitely very attractive.” It’s possible to pit one building against another to get perks like a month or two of free rent, or free parking.

Indeed, Downtown Brooklyn might be a nice alternative to Williamsburg, which is looking less inviting to renters thanks to the impending L train shutdown. And there are plenty more apartments to come: 260 Gold Street, for instance, which is located at Tillary and Gold, is expected to bring 286 apartments to the area; 9 Dekalb, Brooklyn’s first supertall, will have upwards of 500 apartments; and 80 Flatbush Ave will add 900 apartments, some of which will be affordable.

For the nitty-gritty in renting in Downtown Brooklyn, read on.

Rental units

Though a number of new developments, like 210 Livingston Street and 33 Bond Street, offer affordable apartments for under $1,000/month, a limited number are available, and interested renters have to compete for them via the notoriously hard-to-win housing lotteries. Otherwise, your options are mostly on the high end.

“It is a very limited inventory of not-new buildings because the whole neighborhood was basically developed in the last 10 years,” Golovko says, noting that the majority of apartments are “full service buildings.” Those offer everything from studio apartments to three-bedrooms, with robust amenity packages.

Max Touhey

Rent range

Rents in Downtown Brooklyn’s new developments are not, alas, for the budget-concious. “Studios probably will start [at] $2,800 to $2,900/month, and go all the way up to $3,500 depending on the view,” Golovko explains. Prices only get higher from there: One-bedrooms range from $3,500 to $4,500/month; two-bedrooms are in the $5,000-$6,000/month range; and three-bedrooms can climb up to $8,500/month.

Golovko suggests that renters looking for a better deal seek out one bedrooms with a home office, which run about $4,000/month. “That’s a great compromise for someone who might be outpriced for a two bedroom, but they need a little more space” like a nursery or home office, she says.

Neighborhood highlights

Downtown Brooklyn is close to Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, and Fort Greene. It’s a short walk from the Brooklyn Heights promenade and Brooklyn Bridge Park, if you want some green space and a great view of Lower Manhattan.

It’s also home to Hill Country Barbecue (which is due to reopen in the spring), Ganso Ramen, Circa Brewing, and a Shake Shack. The new City Point complex, which houses an Alamo Drafthouse, Trader Joe’s, and a Target, is a retail highlight, and the Fulton Mall is one of the neighborhood’s main thoroughfares. An Apple store and a new Whole Foods 365 recently opened on the Fort Greene side of Flatbush Avenue.

Ameena Walker

For culture, you can’t do better than the New York Transit Museum, hiding in an unused subway station at Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street. The Brooklyn Academy of Music in Fort Greene is an easy walk from Downtown Brooklyn.

Most expensive area

Basically, all of it. Since the majority of the neighborhood is new development, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything below $2,000/month for a studio. According to StreetEasy, the developments closer to DUMBO are a tad pricier (257 Gold Street, 235 Adams Street), but by and large, neighborhood pricing depends more on space and amenities and less on location.

What to look out for before signing a lease

While the neighborhood’s competitive rental market could net you some sweet discounts, Golovko says it’s important to consider what you’ll be paying should you decide to stay for a second year. “Let’s say the apartment rents at $5,000 and owners offer a month or two months free, and it brings it down to $4,500,” she explains. “Remember that when you’re renewing your lease for the second year, you’re going to be renewing up your gross rent”—i.e. the rent that was advertised before any discounts or concessions are applied.

Sample rentals

33 Bond Street: In one of the neighborhood’s newer buildings, a studio apartment is going for $2,370/month. Heat, hot water, and cooking gas are all included, and the building offers common outdoor and work space and a pet-grooming facility.

Via Robbie Noble of TF Cornerstone

180 Myrtle Avenue: This 15th-floor one-bedroom has a balcony with beautiful views of Manhattan, and an en-suite washer/dryer. The eco-friendly building has a full-time doorman, gym, and children’s playroom, among other amenities. It’s going for $3,900/month.

241 Atlantic Avenue: This building opened in 2017 on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Boerum Place. For $4,880, you can rent a no-fee two-bedroom with a terrace; the building has a gym, part-time doorman, bike room, and laundry room.

110 Livingston Street: The owners are knocking a month’s rent off this three-bedroom, two-bath apartment, which has a total of six closets. The gross rent is $6,995/month, but with the rental concession, it goes down to $6,460/month. Building amenities include a fitness center and rooftop deck.