Even if the landlord was willing to rent to you by mitigating the risk in this way; at least in NY state that would not be legal anymore. The state recently li

Even if the landlord was willing to rent to you by mitigating the risk in this way; at least in NY state that would not be legal anymore. The state recently limited security deposits to a single month, and do not permit taking more than one months rent up front. This was meant to help tenants avoid having to come up with more money, but of course landlords will simply mitigate the risk by not renting to some people at all or only for a higher monthly amount. https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/changes-in-nys-rent-law.pdf https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/changes-in-nys-rent-la... "Capping Security Deposits • Landlords can only charge up to one month of rent for a security deposit or “advance payment.” This applies to all residential rentals, with a few exceptions, whether you have a lease or not. › This means that if you are moving into an apartment where the rent is $1500 a month, the most your landlord can charge for a security deposit is $1500. › This also means that your landlord may not charge you in advance for the last month’s rent if you are also paying a security deposit."