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 ]
