Rental Apartments Adding Over-the-Top Amenities

As more homeowners become renters -- whether by choice or necessity -- the demand for higher-end luxury features in apartment buildings is off the charts. Manhattan, a city where almost 70 percent of the residential properties are rental units, leads the charge.

Features such as an on-site bowling alley, full-size basketball courts, rock-climbing walls and 70-foot-long swimming pools are drawing cards for a high-end clientele, said Gary Malin, president of Citi Habitats, a brokerage that works with luxury rental developments.

The granddaddy of this trend is the Ashley, located at 400 West 63rd Street on the Hudson River and with rents ranging up to $13,150 a month for a three-bedroom, three-bathroom unit. A one-bedroom rents for $3,935 per month.