For most of my life, I’ve been a low-key control freak who gets crippling anxiety at the mere mention of uncertainty. I’m the type of person who carefully plans out every aspect of their life for the next decade and always has a plan B, C, and D just in case things don’t go as calculated.

That being said, it should come as no surprise that I always played it safe when it came to renting apartments in New York City. 

While most of my friends left the dreadful task of apartment hunting until the last days of their leasing terms, I always had my next place lined up months in advance, even if it meant paying rent on two places at the same time. Yeah, having peace of mind can sure be costly in the concrete jungle.

However, one day I met a cute guy at a party and my safe, planned-out life was suddenly turned upside down. It was a classic case of “love at first sight” that quickly progressed into a serious relationship. Unlike me, my boyfriend lived in the moment and embraced uncertainty. He encouraged me to follow my dreams and take risks. 

bedly Never get sick of views like this🙌🏼Click the link in our bio to check out our available NYC apartments!

At some point, his daring personality must have rubbing off on me because I actually took his advice and quit my nine to five office job in order to start my own business. Since being an entrepreneur meant foregoing my cushy salary and structured lifestyle, I also decided that it would be best to give up my costly Gramercy apartment for a less expensive sublet that offered more flexibility.

Just as I was about to give up all hope, one of my friends told me about Bedly, a new online platform that helps you find apartments and sublets.

Everyone knows that apartment hunting can be a serious headache. But if there’s one thing that’s even worse than trailing behind an over-enthusiastic realtor for hours on end in search of a suitable apartment, it’s trying to find a decent sublet. 

My search began on Craigslist where I spent countless hours combing through sketchy sublet ads. After weeks of searching, I began to entertain the thought of grabbing a cardboard box and staking out a nice spot on the sidewalk. Just as I was about to give up all hope, one of my friends told me about Bedly, a new online platform that helps you find apartments and sublets.

I was running out of time to find a new place before my lease ended, so I decided to give it a shot and signed up. Bedly lets you search for apartments on their housing network by neighborhood, start date, and price, which made scanning through their available units quick and easy. 

bedly Entryway into our 4BR/1.5BA beautiful Bushwick apartment. Click the link in our bio to see available rooms.

As I browsed through the listings, I eventually came across a promising sublet in Midtown West.I read the description, carefully looked through the photos and took Bedly’s virtual 3D tour of the space. The apartment was fully furnished, clean and most importantly, way more affordable than my current place. Plus, it was only a few blocks from my boyfriend’s apartment and it even had Wi-Fi and utilities included in the price. Needless to say, I decided to take a leap of faith and go for it.

Booking my sublet was easy. While Bedly offers both fixed-term and flexible leases, I opted for the month-to-month rental terms since I wasn’t sure how long I would need a place. I selected my move in date, filled out a personal information form, agreed to a background check, provided my payment details and I was done. I had found an apartment within minutes and wished I knew about Bedly before I wasted so much time searching for sublets on Craigslist.

While Bedly offers both fixed-term and flexible leases, I opted for the month-to-month rental terms since I wasn’t sure how long I would need a place.

After booking my new pad, I received an email from a Bedly support member who provided me with the details about my upcoming move. He gave me a code along with instructions on how to access my keys, which were waiting for me in a digital lockbox on the door of the apartment. 

To be completely honest, I was pretty nervous on move-in day. It was my first time subleasing and I hadn't even seen the apartment in person, so I really didn’t know what to expect. I retrieved my keys from the lockbox, took a deep breath and opened the door. To my relief, the apartment looked just like it had in the pictures and virtual tour online.

bedly The accent brick in this newly listed room is to good👌🏻😍click the link in our bio to view more!

I was greeted by my new roommates, who were all friendly, working professionals in their 20’s. After a brief introduction, they showed me around, helped me carry my boxes to my room and even cleared out a space in one of the extra hallway closets for me.

Moving into my Bedly sublet was quick and simple. Since I didn’t have to lug any furniture, linens or cookware over to my sublet, it only took me about an hour to unpack all of my clothes and get settled into my new bedroom. Bedly also made paying rent a breeze. I was able to make my monthly rental payments online with a credit card, which is a lot more convenient than having to mail a check to your landlord every month. Plus, Bedly’s support team was always there to help with any issues or maintenance problems in the apartment.

Bedly made the process of moving out just as easy as moving in. I simply emailed Bedly a month prior to my move out date to inform them that I was unfortunately leaving.

After a few great months in my Bedly apartment, I decided to leave my sublet and move in with my boyfriend. Bedly made the process of moving out just as easy as moving in. I simply emailed Bedly a month prior to my move out date to inform them that I was unfortunately leaving. They wished me all the best, gave me a few simple move-out instructions and told me when I could expect to have my security deposit returned.

All in all, I really enjoyed living in my Bedly sublet. While the apartment may not have been as fancy as my previous apartment, it offered a clean, affordable space with friendly, respectful roommates and an open-ended leasing option. Every aspect of renting from Bedly was hassle-free and it really served as the perfect living situation for me at the time.