How Much Does it Cost to Rent a Rooftop for a Day?
Rooftop spaces are among the most popular categories for film and event location rentals (weather permitting). Not only are rooftops and top-floor patios an awesome source of skyline views and cool-factor, they also offer comparatively affordable rental rates compared to other types of commercial locations such as warehouses, churches, and hospitals.
Of the thousands of locations booked with Giggster, a significant portion occur on rooftop-style spaces (roughly around 3% of all Giggster bookings during the summer months of May - September). All of these daily rooftop rentals give us a good picture of the average booking price for a rooftop rental in both Los Angeles and New York.
Average price to rent a rooftop for a day in LA - $966
Average price to rent a rooftop for a day in NYC - $825
These averages (based on a random sample of a dozen rooftop rentals in each city) should give you an approximate idea of the rental price of rooftop space. While you might be surprised to see L.A rates are higher on average than NYC, very few of the New York bookings are for large Manhattan skyscrapers. Rather, the $825 average rental range mostly covers rooftop patios and residential spaces in Brooklyn and Queens. For reference, rooftops rentals in Manhattan are extremely expensive - with good ones charging as much as $5,000 per hour.
Generally speaking though, a budget of $1,000 should be more than enough for a short-term rooftop location rental. In fact, you might be able to find something significantly cheaper. There are currently 81 rooftop locations in Los Angeles available for less than $100 per hour and 34 available for less than $100 per hour in New York. However, you should remember that these rates are all based on smaller crews, so if you're planning a large production or event with hundreds of people, you can expect to pay significantly more.
Rooftop rentals in large cities range from $400 to $8,000 per day. With the average day rate at a cost of $785.
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What type of rooftop can I afford to rent for a day?
Here at Giggster, we’ve seen a lot of questions about how much a rooftop should cost - and generally speaking, it's very hard to offer a single rate you should expect to pay. Are you looking for a huge commercial rooftop to stage a Hollywood action sequence? Or are you simply looking for a small patio space with a nice skyline view to host a mixer?
To give you a better idea of what you can afford we've created a list rooftop options at 3 price tiers:
1) Baby Budget - Rooftops for less than $500 per day
If you need a rooftop vibe without breaking the bank, there are some solid options in both New York and LA for around $75 per hour (but don't expect any infinity pools or shade). The filming location pictured above (8,000 square foot DTLA Rooftop) is an amazing steal at a list price of only $60 per hour and only a 1 hour minimum. While it isn't fancy, it's very film-friendly; offering a great blank slate for a wide range of production projects.
Rent this Los Angeles rooftop location for $60 per hour
2) Lil' Budget - Rooftops for less than $1500 per day
If you're willing to fork over a bit more cash for your rooftop rental you can expect greater square-footage, better skylines and access to additional areas in the building. While the location above (Rooftop Skyline with Studio) looks similar to the first option at a glance, there are many features that provide additional value. Depending on the needs of your project the rusty water tanks alone might be worth a few hundreds dollars.
Rent this Los Angeles rooftop location for $175 per hour
3) The Client's Paying - Rooftops for over $1500 per day
Like most film location categories, the market above $200 per hour increases exponentially (we've seen a few rooftop rentals above $10,000 per day) However, for the most part with a budget of around $400 per hour you can rent just about every type of rooftop imaginable. If you're looking for a residential rooftop patio with a great view, the location pictured above (The Village Studio Penthouse) is a solid choice at $385 with an 4 hour minimum. While it's a fairly steep price for a residential location, the overall design and attention to detail make it well worth it.
"I was so happy to have found this location on Giggster, which was a perfect fit our shoot needs. All of the spaces are exactly as pictured in photos. In fact, we were pleasantly surprised that it was bigger than we imagined, with ample room for a crew of 20. I appreciated the responsive communication throughout the booking process, and the site manager was very helpful."
Rent this New York rooftop location for $375 per hour
What percentage of my budget should be spent on a rooftop rental?
Regardless of what type of rooftop you're interested in, it's usually a good idea to dedicate a significant amount of your total budget to the rental (we recommend at least 30%). In New York and Los Angeles, locking down a rooftop booking can be a competitive process (especially during the warmer summer months) and you don't want to lose out on your dream location because you were outbid by $100. While friends will work for free and equipment can be borrowed, rooftop location rentals have rigid prices that you either pay for or miss out on entirely. For this reason, it's always a good idea to keep a budget range and be willing to pay 10-20% more than any listed online rate.
Where do I actually rent a rooftop for a day?
Though booking rooftop locations can be competitive, actually finding them and contacting the owners is incredibly easy thanks to Giggster. Our online platform connects you directly with hundreds of local property owners where you can start a new chat, sort out the details, and book directly and securely via credit card.