Apartment hunting, from the renter’s side.
Leaseswap is a New York City apartment search platform. It monitors public NYC rental listings in one place, alerts renters to apartments that match their search, and publishes free rent data and maps. For listing agents, Leaseswap for Agents collects rental applications through one link and compiles them into a single landlord-ready PDF.
What we do
What Leaseswap does
Search, data, and application tools for one city. The map, rent data, and guides are free and open without an account.
Apartment search and alerts
leaseswap.nyc
Describe the apartment you want in plain English, such as a one-bedroom under $3,000 within a ten-minute walk of a Trader Joe's. Leaseswap searches StreetEasy, LeaseBreak, NYBits, Reddit, and building websites together and emails you when a new listing matches.
Rent-stabilized search
leaseswap.nyc/rent-stabilized
Find listings that describe themselves as rent stabilized and see whether the building appears in New York State's DHCR rent registry. The registry covers buildings, not individual apartments, so it is a check on the building rather than a guarantee about the unit.
Lease takeovers
leaseswap.nyc/lease-takeover
Tenants who are moving out can list their apartment for free, and Leaseswap matches it with renters whose saved searches fit. The landlord still decides who signs the next lease.
Free rent data and maps
leaseswap.nyc/map
Median rents by neighborhood and bedroom count, a live map of rent-stabilized listings, lease takeovers, sublets, and below-median deals, and plain-language guides to renting in New York. All free, with no account needed.
Leaseswap for Agents
leaseswap.nyc/brokers
Agents send applicants one link. Applicants, co-applicants, and guarantors each upload their own documents, every upload gets a clerical check for completeness and legibility, and the agent receives one landlord-ready PDF to review and forward.
Why it is different
What makes Leaseswap different
A few choices shape everything else we build.
- 01
Built around renters, not listings
Most rental sites start with the apartment. Leaseswap starts with the renter: every alert is a standing request from someone who needs a home. Put enough of that demand in one place and landlords, agents, and departing tenants can bring apartments to renters who already match.
- 02
One search across the city
NYC listings are spread across StreetEasy, LeaseBreak, NYBits, Reddit, and building websites. Leaseswap watches them together, so one alert covers all of them and every match links back to the original listing.
- 03
Search the way you talk
Type the apartment you want the way you would describe it to a friend. Leaseswap understands budgets, bedrooms, neighborhoods, commute times, and distance to the places you care about, from a gym to a specific subway stop.
- 04
Public records, cited plainly
Rent-stabilization checks use the DHCR building registry, and we say what it can and cannot confirm. Our guides cite the statute behind each legal claim and show when they were last reviewed.
- 05
Free where it counts, plainly priced
The map, rent data, guides, and one alert are free. The optional Search Pass is $39 for 4 months, paid once, with no subscription, no auto-renewal, and a 7-day refund. Applicants never pay to submit an application through Leaseswap.
- 06
Software, not a brokerage
Leaseswap does not represent renters or landlords, negotiate leases, or collect rent or deposits. You contact the landlord or agent directly, and the lease is between the two of you.
Weighing your options? Our StreetEasy alternatives and best NYC apartment websites guides compare the main services side by side and name a limitation for each one, including Leaseswap.
Who it is for
Who uses Leaseswap
New York City only, across all five boroughs. Most people arrive looking for an apartment. Some arrive with one to hand off.
- Renters looking for a whole apartmentStudios to three bedrooms and up. Rooms in shared apartments are excluded.
- Renters who want a rent-stabilized apartmentListings checked against the DHCR building registry.
- Students and people new to New YorkStudents with a .edu email get a discount on the Search Pass.
- Tenants who are moving outList an apartment for someone to take over, for free.
- Renters comparing neighborhoodsMedian rents by neighborhood and bedroom count, before the search starts.
- NYC listing agentsRental applications collected through one link with Leaseswap for Agents.
- Reporters and researchersRenter demand data drawn from 3,238 active alerts.
Who is behind it
Who is behind Leaseswap
Leaseswap is independent: no listing site or landlord owns any part of it. It is built in New York City, with the renters and agents who use it.
Giulio Colleluori
Founder · New York City
Leaseswap started in April 2024, in a line outside a Manhattan open house. While waiting, Giulio got talking with another renter who wanted to take over the studio Giulio’s girlfriend was about to leave. Other people in line overheard and wanted in. None of them got the apartment they came to see.
That night Giulio made a spreadsheet where New Yorkers could post the apartments they were leaving, and shared it on Reddit. About 100 entries came in on the first day. A few weeks later the spreadsheet became an app.
“Great apartments are passed down anyway.”
Leaseswap exists to make that handoff visible to everyone, not just the people already in the loop. The spreadsheet has grown into citywide search, free rent data, and tools for the agents who rent apartments, all aimed at the same problem.
Before Leaseswap, Giulio built a booking platform for van-life travelers looking for parking, showers, and Wi-Fi.
Write to Giulio directly at [email protected].
How it works
How Leaseswap works
What happens after you set an alert, and who answers when you write in.
- Step 01
Describe the apartment
Set your budget, size, neighborhoods, and anything else that matters, in plain English.
- Step 02
Leaseswap watches the listings
New listings are checked throughout the day and matched against every active alert.
- Step 03
Matches come to you
Free alerts arrive by email. The Search Pass adds text alerts, unlimited alerts, deal scores, and landlord violation reports.
- Step 04
You deal directly
Each match links to the original listing. You contact the landlord or agent yourself, and Leaseswap is never a party to the lease.
Agents
Access to Leaseswap for Agents is set up personally, including a walkthrough of your first listing.
[email protected]Key facts
Key facts
The short version, for anyone writing about Leaseswap, citing it, or deciding whether to use it.
- Company
- Leaseswap (also Leaseswap NYC)
- Legal entity
- Dabudage LLC
- What it is
- New York City apartment search platform and rental application software
- Started
- April 2024, New York City
- Founder
- Giulio Colleluori
- Ownership
- Independent. Not owned by a listing site or a landlord.
- Coverage
- New York City only: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Staten Island
- Listing sources
- StreetEasy, LeaseBreak, NYBits, Reddit, and building websites, plus direct tenant listings
- Products
- Apartment search and alerts, rent-stabilized search, lease takeover listings, rent data and maps, and Leaseswap for Agents (rental applications)
- Renter pricing
- Free account with one alert. Search Pass: $39 for 4 months, paid once, with no subscription, no auto-renewal, and a 7-day refund.
- Agent pricing
- Leaseswap for Agents is in invite-only early access and currently free. Always free for applicants, co-applicants, and guarantors.
- Role in a rental
- Search and software only. Not a real estate broker, landlord, or property manager, and never collects rent or deposits.
- Website
- leaseswap.nyc
- iPhone app
- Leaseswap NYC: Hidden Rentals
- Affiliation
- Leaseswap is an independent search-monitoring tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by StreetEasy, Zillow, NYBits, or LeaseBreak. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Last reviewed
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is Leaseswap?
Leaseswap is a New York City apartment search platform. It monitors public NYC rental listings in one place, alerts renters to apartments that match their search, and publishes free rent data and maps. For listing agents, Leaseswap for Agents collects rental applications through one link and compiles them into a single landlord-ready PDF.
Is Leaseswap free?
Yes. The map, rent data, guides, and one alert are free. The optional Search Pass costs $39 for 4 months, paid once, with no subscription, no auto-renewal, and a 7-day refund.
Where do Leaseswap's listings come from?
Leaseswap monitors public NYC rental listings on StreetEasy, LeaseBreak, NYBits, Reddit, and building websites, plus apartments that tenants list directly for a lease takeover. Listings found elsewhere link back to their original source.
Is Leaseswap a real estate broker?
No. Leaseswap is not a real estate broker, agent, or other licensee under New York Real Property Law § 440, and it is not a landlord or property manager. It never represents either side, negotiates lease terms, or collects rent or deposits.
How does Leaseswap check whether an apartment is rent stabilized?
When a listing says it is rent stabilized, Leaseswap checks whether the building appears in New York State's DHCR rent registry. The registry lists buildings that contain stabilized units, not individual apartments, so a match confirms the building, not the unit.
Can I list my apartment for someone to take over?
Yes. Tenants who are moving out can list their apartment for free, and Leaseswap matches it with renters whose saved searches fit. Your landlord still decides whether to approve the new tenant.
What is Leaseswap for Agents?
Leaseswap for Agents is Leaseswap's rental application tool for NYC listing agents. Applicants upload their documents through one link, each upload gets a clerical check for completeness and legibility, and the agent receives one PDF to review and forward. It never scores, ranks, or screens applicants.
Who runs Leaseswap?
Leaseswap was founded in April 2024 by Giulio Colleluori and is operated by Dabudage LLC. It is independent and built in New York City.
Does Leaseswap cover cities outside New York?
No. Leaseswap covers New York City only: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, and Staten Island.
How do I contact Leaseswap?
Email [email protected] for help with alerts or your account, or [email protected] to reach the founder. Listing agents can request access at [email protected].
Next step
Looking, leaving, or leasing? Start here.
Renters start with a free alert. Tenants moving out list for free. Agents can request access to Leaseswap for Agents.