Moving Day was a tradition in New York City dating back to colonial times and lasting until after World War II. On February 1, sometimes known as "Rent Day", landlords would give notice to their tenants what the new rent would be after the end of the quarter,[1] and the tenants would spend good-weather days in the early spring searching for new houses and the best deals.[2] On May 1,[3] all leases in the city expired simultaneously at 9:00 am, causing thousands of people to change their residences, all at the same time.[4][5]
Local legend has it that the tradition began because May 1 was the day the first Dutch settlers set out for Manhattan,[6] but The Encyclopedia of New York City links it instead to the English celebration of May Day.[7] While it may have originated as a custom, the tradition took force of law by an 1820 act of the New York State Legislature, which mandated that if no other date was specified, all housing contracts were valid to the first of May[8][9] – unless the day fell on a Sunday, in which case the deadline was May 2.[10]