Housing lottery opens for New York City apartments costing just $513 a month
Here's how to be in with a chance...
Ellie Kemp
People living in New York City have a chance of living in affordable housing from as low as $513 a month.
That's all thanks to the NYC Housing Development Lottery, which has re-opened its waiting list for mobility-adapted units in Spring Creek, Brooklyn.
Residents could now shelter from the 'bomb cyclone' winter storm while paying a lesser rate than the average.
The apartments are located on 516 and 524 Vandalia Avenue and 526 Schroeders Avenue, served by two trains, three subways and seven bus routes.
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Amenities include parking, a fitness center, card-operated laundry facilities and an on-site resident superintendent.
The lottery’s rent-restricted units are set aside based on household income relative to the city’s Area Median Income, a standard decided by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development that helps determine eligibility for affordable housing programs in NYC, as the NYC government explains.
Studios are available for between $513 and $1,023 a month for up to two people making $20,880 to $51,840.
There are also one-bedroom apartments for $558 to $1,089, for up to three people earning between $22,835 and $58,320.
Two-bedrooms are up for grabs for between $749 and $1,291 a month, for between two and five people, bringing in from $30,549 up to $70,000.
The final option is three-bedroom accommodation, priced between $838 and $1,476 a month, for three to seven people earning from $34,766 to $80,360.
There is neither an application fee nor a broker's fee to pay, however pets aren't allowed in the buildings.
The NYCHDC adds that the rent includes heat and hot water, but the tenant pays electric.
As of September 2025, Nicki in NYC reported the monthly cost of owning a studio apartment in Brooklyn to be $2,839 in total.
That breakdown includes a median studio price of $393,000, average monthlies of $747 and a mortgage at 20 percent down, assuming a seven percent interest rate of $2,092.
The reopening of the NYC Housing Development Lottery comes at a time when housing affordability remains one of the city’s most pressing challenges.
Newly inaugurated mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has made affordable housing a focal point of his administration, campaigning to expand tenant protections, strengthen rent control and build hundreds of thousands of new affordable homes to address the housing crisis.
In his first days in office, Mamdani signed executive actions aimed at protecting renters and reviving the city’s Office to Protect Tenants.
If you want to apply for the NYC housing lottery, simply e-mail [email protected] or call 718-576-6940.
Find out more information here.