Money Bidding wars in NYC: Tenants scramble for apartments, rents skyrocket as COVID deals vanish March 23, 2022March 23, 2022 Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY Comments Off on Bidding wars in NYC: Tenants scramble for apartments, rents skyrocket as COVID deals vanish COVID concessions have largely disappeared in New York City with the average apartment rent in Manhattan now 11% higher than pre-pandemic levels.