Alanna Schubach
Contributing writer
Contributing editor Alanna Schubach has over a decade of experience as a New York City-based freelance journalist. She has written about real estate for Brick Underground, Mansion Global, and Barron's. She has also contributed features, essays, and op-eds to The Nation, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and The Village Voice. She won a National Association of Real Estate Editors’ silver award in 2018 for her Ask an Expert column for Brick Underground. She is also a fiction writer and a creative writing teacher, and currently lives in Brooklyn.
Posts by Alanna Schubach:
Our co-op banned dogs from our backyard. Can we push back?
June 7, 2021 - 09:30 AM
Ask around and find out if your neighbors prefer dogs be kept out of the yard or if they want shareholders' dogs to have use of that space. It may be that others are bothered by this change to the pet policy, in which case you could address the issue as a group.
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How do I get the landlord to turn our roof into a comfortable space to hang out?
June 1, 2021 - 13:30 PM
Your landlord may be initially reluctant to create a roof deck amenity space because of the expense and additional insurance liability, but there may be some long-term benefits you can impress upon them.
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Ask Sam: I read the number of Manhattan rentals being warehoused has tripled. Is this legal?
May 26, 2021 - 12:30 PM
The practice of warehousing has spiked during the pandemic. Landlords shelved triple the number of unrented Manhattan apartments that they typically hold back, according to data from UrbanDigs.
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Our neighbor complains about our noise—but we're not making any. How do we get him to stop?
May 24, 2021 - 09:30 AM
"You can only be deemed a nuisance in a co-op setting if you create an excessive amount of noise, or make noise at unreasonable hours," says Sam Himmelstein, a lawyer who represents residential and commercial tenants and tenant associations (and FYI, a Brick sponsor).
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I'm buying a new construction condo. What could change between signing a contract and closing?
May 17, 2021 - 12:30 PM
Changes can arise during the construction process, so when you're purchasing in a new development before it's built, it's crucial to carefully read the offering plan, our experts say.
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Ask Sam: Do landlords have to relocate tenants when they’re demolishing the building?
May 12, 2021 - 13:30 PM
Landlords planning to demolish buildings have the option of either relocating the tenants or offering them a stipend. Stipends are calculated based on the difference between the tenant’s current rent and that of a comparable apartment, multiplied by six years.
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