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:
Ask Sam: I’m a rent-stabilized tenant in a condo building. How do I get my landlord to paint my place?
March 10, 2021 - 09:30 AM
Landlords of all multiple-dwelling buildings are legally required to paint apartments every three years, so this should be your landlord’s responsibility, not the condo board’s, says Sam Himmelstein, a lawyer who represents residential and commercial tenants and tenant associations.
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My neighbor's shower flooded my apartment, but his insurance won't cover it. What can I do?
March 8, 2021 - 12:30 PM
In older New York City buildings with old plumbing systems, it can be quite difficult to prove that your neighbor was at fault for the clogged shower and flooding.
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My building says I can't move out because the elevator is broken. Can they do that?
March 1, 2021 - 09:30 AM
"A condominium board has very broad authority and latitude to manage the operations of its building in the manner that the board members feel most appropriate," says attorney Aaron Shmulewitz.
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Ask Sam: What are my rights as a subletter of a rent-stabilized apartment?
February 24, 2021 - 12:30 PM
“Under the rent stabilization code, the tenant can only sublet for two years out of any four-year period,” says attorney Sam Himmelstein. “If the prime tenant and subtenant have the landlord’s consent, but now the sublease is coming to an end, the subtenant has to leave.”
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Is my landlord legally required to fix my windows?
February 22, 2021 - 13:30 PM
A broken window is causing a NYC apartment to be colder than the legal temperature limit, which may force the landlord to make repairs.
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My neighbor's bathroom leaks and damages my wall. How do I get this fixed permanently?
February 16, 2021 - 13:30 PM
"If moisture issues are improperly handled, you can expect small plaster or fungus beetles, and possibly a mold issue," says pest control expert Gil Bloom, president of Standard Pest Management. "It is important that walls be allowed to properly dry before any other repairs are made like plastering and painting, or installing sheetrock."
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