Does the sentence:
I am renting an apartment in New York.
imply that I am the landlord or the tenant?
How can I unequivocally communicate that I am the tenant (or the landlord)?
Does the sentence:
I am renting an apartment in New York.
imply that I am the landlord or the tenant?
How can I unequivocally communicate that I am the tenant (or the landlord)?
To "unequivocally communicate that I am the tenant (or the landlord)", among other things you could say one of the following.
• As tenant, I rent an apartment...
• As landlord, I rent an apartment...
As previously noted by choster, adding out to original sentence works for landlord sense:
I am renting out an apartment in New York.
You can state a not-landlord case, and perhaps imply tenancy, via
I pay for renting an apartment in New York.
As a renter I usually think of the tenant as renting, but the dictionaries seem to disagree with me as to primary use.
If you are the landlord, you could say
I am renting out an apartment in New York.
I have an apartment for rent in New York.
I am letting an apartment in New York.
Rent is indeed ambiguous that way.
However, the two senses have different syntactic affordances.
And there's lots of other ways to disambiguate them; in context, one is rarely confused.
Tenant: I'm living in a rental apartment in New York.
Landlord: I'm renting out an apartment in New York.
Unfortunately, the MW Dictionary entry for rent as a verb shows two entries:
1: to grant the possession and enjoyment of in exchange for rent
2: to take and hold under an agreement to pay rent
So the word officially can mean either.
I know that I personally would assume that if you "rent an apartment", then you are a tennant, but due to the ambiguity there's always room for doubt. But when in doubt, just add a clarification to your sentence.
One example: I own an apartment for rent.
Does the sentence: I am renting an apartment in New York. imply that I am the landlord or the tenant?
If you use the word rent for both a landlord and a tenant then, that sentence is unclear.
How can I unequivocally communicate that I am the tenant (or the landlord)?
By use of the word let. As can be seen from the link here http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/let_3, the word let unequivocally refers to a landlord. The word rent, normally refers to a tenant.
As a tenant, you can say "I am renting an apartment/flat (depending on which form of English you are speaking) in New York."
As a landlord, you can say "I am letting an apartment/flat (depending on which form of English you are speaking) in New York."
This would be the best way because, it is simple and unequivocal.
I am letting an apartment
or
I have an apartment to let
would imply that you are the landlord, or at least the letting agent. But certainly not the tenant.
When I first read your question title, I had trouble figuring out the ambiguity -- I thought it had to do with whether your sought apartment is to be in New York, or whether you are in New York, looking for an apartment somewhere else. :)
I found it quite unambiguous, since I always thought landlords lease property, whereas tenants rent property.
I didn't think renting was ambiguous, in part because if someone were the landlord, he/she would probably write lease instead (e.g. leasing office).
The word is definitely ambiguous by itself. To be more explicit, I would expand the phrase:
"I own an apartment(room/house/complex) that I am renting out in New York."
For the owner, use "renting out", and be definite ("my apartment"):
I am renting out my apartment in New York.
For the tenant, use "renting", and be indefinite ("an apartment):
I am renting an apartment in New York.
With the slightest bit of context, I think these would be understood unambiguously.
Changing the verb to a phrase with context to owner also works.
I need an apt. "for rent" in NYC.
I have an apt. "for rent" in NYC.
I have an apt. "for sublet" in NYC that you may "rent".
... are unambiguous examples. edited apt. for appt.
"I am staying at a rented apartment" shows you are a tenant and "I have an apartment to let" shows you are the landlord.
In UK English one would say:
If you are a tenant, you would be "renting" an apartment.
If you are a landlord, you would be "letting" an apartment.
Sometimes landlords will use the word "rent." In this case, they need to say that they are renting OUT an apartment. For emphasis, a landlord could say that s/he was "letting out" the apartment.
A tenant could say that s/he was "letting in" an apartment, or letting an apartment from [the landlord]. That's not common.
Because a tenant is renting IN an apartment. That is what is commonly understood by the word "rent."