Sonia Hendrix, the 37-year-old founder of Gallery PR, almost fell off her couch after opening an email from her property manager, indicating that her rent was being raised to $5,500 per month for her one-bedroom apartment in Tribeca. When she moved into the unit in June 2021, her rent was $4,100. Hendrix called it a “sweetheart COVID deal.” But now, after living in New York for close to 10 years, she’s rethinking her situation—and that could mean leaving the city.
Her apartment is directly in front of the Greenwich Hotel, Hendrix says, calling it a “prime location.” However, besides the location and a doorman, there’s nothing special about it. In fact, she says, the lobby and hallways are worn down, and she lived without a functioning bathtub for a year. Hendrix attempted to work something out with her property manager, asking them to reconsider the increase because she’s been a good tenant, but she was instead told, “You’re lucky we didn’t raise it to this last year.” After choosing not to renew her lease, and having to move out by the end of May, Hendrix started looking around at apartments and condos on the market to see if she could afford to take the next step and buy. She was looking at homes particularly in Chelsea because, after living all over Manhattan, Hendrix says she knows what she wants.
