Is an independent 17 year old allowed to book a hotel/rent an apartment in New York (coming from London)?
Wednesday, March 28th, 2012 at
12:40 pm
I want to visit New York as I intend on living there in the future, I currently live on my own in London and was wondering would I be able to book a hotel in New York as i know most places require you to be 18 or over but is there anyway around it or an alternative ?
Also in England I am legally allowed to live on my own, but would I legally be able to go to New York and stay there for around 3-6 months and get a job and rent an apartment or is that not possible .
Thanks
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Tagged with: Apartment In New York • Book A Hotel • Year Book
Filed under: New York
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You need to be 18 to rent a hotel room. You would perhaps be able to rent one with a parental sponsorship. The problem is that it is not legal to enter into a contract in the U.S. until you are 18. You may be able to do all that you want, but you will need someone to basically guarantee any agreements.
No. One cannot do what you are asking until they are at least 18 years of age.
what are you talking about going to a city like New York and and booking into a soulless, lonely, boring, hotel on your own at your age…
Book into a hostel, meet friends, pay less, and you will see more, learn more, and get more out of your visit…
Trust me on this, there is no debate, it has to be a hostel….
I promise you if you book into a hostel in Manhattan you will never look back!
Best wishes,
Philip
Yes, in New York state if you are over 16 years of age and are employed you can be deemed to be living independent.
As long as you have a debit/credit card they will accept it, don’t worry about it in this economy.
However, convincing a landlord to take you in could be tricky, but then in this economy definitely more likely if you can prove your income.
There are many illegals in NY that don’t even have any id by the way.
My son travelled to the US alone when he was 17, he was not allowed into the country until the family he was staying with turned up to meet him. He was still considered a minor.
You may wish to reconsider your visit to New York until you are 18 as although you are “legal” in the UK, you are not of age in the United States…ie., you will be considered a “minor” and you will be bound to follow local law. It is even possible that you could be apprehended by social services and taken into care if they consider you to be without adequate supervision (this has happened before).
You should also be aware that although sex is legal at 16 in the UK, it is not legal in many American states and you could even be charged with statutory rape. Also, underage drinking (under 21) is NOT permitted under any circumstance and you could go for jail for something that is barely frowned upon in the UK.
Now as for renting an apartment, you will be a minor and are unable to sign a valid contract. This means that you cannot get an apartment. As for getting a job, if you aren’t an American citizen, you can’t do this legally unless you have a green card.
I strongly recommend that you seek out independent legal advice from a lawyer/solicitor who is familiar with American law who can advise you of the differences between that and UK laws so you don’t get in trouble should you choose to visit the U.S…..that is, assuming they let you in, in the first place (they may not if you don’t have certified letters of permission from both your parents).