Entertainment

Would you live with a married couple?

Washington Heights marrieds Vahni Cantino and Jonathan Hartman have been through 10 roommates over the years, including one Russian woman who was “jealous” of their frequent displays of affection in the common room.

Washington Heights marrieds Vahni Cantino and Jonathan Hartman have been through 10 roommates over the years, including one Russian woman who was “jealous” of their frequent displays of affection in the common room. (Brian Zak/NY Post)

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Ronit Aranoff thought she had hit the NYC real estate jackpot when she found a 1,200-square-foot apartment in a hot Harlem nabe with plenty of natural light, a huge bedroom for her, a Bosch washer/dryer and a free gym in the building — all for “significantly less” than the $1,000 monthly rent she was paying for her former pad just three blocks away.

There was, of course, a catch.

The three-bedroom co-op is occupied by a married couple — and they’re expecting a baby in September.

As part of the rent deal, Aranoff has agreed to help with baby duties.

“I will baby-sit whenever they need me and whenever I’m available — free of charge,” says the 28-year-old actress. “Everybody thinks we’re crazy. Some warn me that I’m not going to get enough sleep, but I’m a very heavy sleeper, so I’m not worried.”

Psycho roommates have always been a fact of life in New York, but married ones? Local Craigslist boards are now awash in inquiries for communal living arrangements with couples. Some ads from couples insist on “no strangers” and “no visitors crashing on the couch,” while another seeks a lesbian roommate, presumably to ward off any hanky-panky.

Real estate agents attribute the trend to low inventory and sky-high rents, which continue to climb in NYC. Average rent for a Manhattan apartment is now $3,448 a month, according to a new report by Citi Habitats.

Kelly Robinson, senior vice president at Town Residential Real Estate, says she’s heard of many couple clients who buy larger apartments than needed so they can rent out the extra rooms to defray the mortgage and other costs.

“It’s quite possible to save a pretty penny if you are a couple who doesn’t mind sharing your place and your privacy,” says Robinson.

And it’s a boon to renters who can’t afford the skyrocketing rents for studios and one-bedrooms.

“Market reports show that the year-over-year percentage increase in rent is higher for studios and one-bedrooms than for two bedrooms,” Robinson adds.

Sounds like a win-win. But it’s not without complications.

Megan, a 28-year-old radio executive producer, shared a luxury condo in FiDi with a couple — but fled in 2012 after two years of “abnormal” living.

“Every once in a while I could hear sexual escapades, but I know they were trying to keep it quiet,” says Megan, who didn’t want her last name published because she’s still friends with the couple. “They were respectful enough, but it felt like it was two against one sometimes. Sometimes there would be cuddling; they used pet names for each other. There were days when I was pulling my hair out.”

Jonathan Hartman and his wife, Vahni Cantino, have lived in their four-bedroom home in Washington Heights for seven years — and during that entire time, they’ve shared their space with roommates.

So far, they’ve been through 10 tenants — and had their share of problems.

Once, a Russian couple moved in. Cantino clashed with the hotheaded wife, who was “jealous” over Hartman’s affection for his wife. “She was kind of fat and jealous of me for not being fat,” Cantino said. “She’s the reason we lean toward guy roommates now.”

Even so, in 2009 a male “prude” moved in and — spotting Cantino in her room in her bra and undies — promptly submitted his 30-day notice the next morning.

Hartman says he and his wife are “nocturnal homebodies” and they don’t skimp on the PDA. Cantino, a 30-year-old classical ballet dancer, gets foot rubs from her husband every night on the living room couch — the only shared space in the house. They currently have two roommates, and say they’ve never had any complaints from them. (Their roommates both declined to comment.)

And while the extra company sometimes cramps their style, they say it’s worth it for the extra space and cut-price rent.

“I’d rather have our own problems than [deal with] everybody else’s,” admitsHartman, a 57-year-old Shakespearean actor. “[But] a small apartment doesn’t just cramp my style, it cramps my mind. Life is a compromise; you can’t help it.”

Many couples are having a much harder time finding singles who want to shack up.

Nina Abbott-Barish and her life partner of six years, Trevor, posted a Craigslist ad two months ago for a “spacious, sun-drenched, duplex apartment” in Park Slope — with no less than a 1,500-square-foot vegetable garden in the back — for a mere $1,300 after their previous roommates, a couple, got married and moved into their own place.

So far, their ad hasn’t had any takers.

“A lot of people don’t want to live with a couple,” Abbott-Barish says. “They think it’s too much trouble.”

But while the situation can be awkward for solo renters, some actually prefer the stability of living with a couple.

Shira Saiger, 32, a corporate lawyer in Williamsburg, says shacking up with a married couple from 2008 to 2011 spoiled her.

“It was a very no-pressure and no-drama situation. I never felt obligated to hang out with them because they had each other, but because I like them so much, I was always happy to hang out if we were all around. I think sometimes if you have a girl roommate, you feel bad if you’re going out and she’s home doing nothing, but I never had to deal with that. There was no competition,” says Saiger, who moved down the block into a one-bedroom after the couple became pregnant with their first child.

Some couples insist they prefer the company of a third or fourth wheel.

Jackie, 30, lives in a sprawling three-bedroom apartment in Prospect Heights with her husband of three years and two roommates. While the couple earn a combined six figures and say they can afford their own place, they like the bonding that comes with having roommates.

While they pay $1,400 now for their share in a large place with enviable amenities, Jackie estimates a similar space would cost as much as $1,000 more.

“We’ll probably stop living with roommates when we have kids,” concedes Jackie, a civil servant who asked that her real name not be printed for “professional reasons.” “I can’t really imagine anyone wanting to hear our crying infant.”

But a baby isn’t a dealbreaker for Aranoff, who is eagerly awaiting the tiny baby who’ll be born to her roommates, Jessica Weiss, 29, and Jeffrey Singer, 32, in September. (To make quarters even more cramped, Weiss’ sister Rebecca has also moved into the apartment.)

“A century ago, everyone lived like this — with all the family living together,” says Singer, a federal investigator.

“Living together this way is less expensive, and you save by sharing expenses. That will hopefully also include not paying for baby sitters.”

dlewak@nypost.com