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: My landlord waits to cash my rent checks, putting me at risk of eviction. What should I do?
February 10, 2021 - 09:30 AM
"Landlords who don't cash rent checks are using one of the oldest harassment techniques in the book," says attorney Sam Himmelstein. "They will do this in the hope that the tenant will spend the rent money, and then they can sue them for eviction."
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We moved into a NYC building with no gas or heat. What can we do?
February 8, 2021 - 12:30 PM
If you want to stay in the apartment, you could withhold your rent—having no gas, heat, or hot water legally entitles you to a full rent abatement.
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An electric scooter caught fire in our building. Can we ban them from common areas?
February 1, 2021 - 09:30 AM
Despite the risk of fire, electric scooters cannot be banned from buildings, since people with disabilities may need them to get around.
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Ask Sam: What makes a NYC apartment illegal? Are there consequences for tenants?
January 28, 2021 - 12:30 PM
There are several conditions under which an apartment could be considered illegal, says Sam Himmelstein, a lawyer who represents residential and commercial tenants and tenant associations, and the consequences vary depending on the circumstances. One of the most common situations occurs when a landlord creates a duplex apartment that includes a basement and markets that underground space as a bedroom.
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We moved out of NYC temporarily. Can we reduce our apartment insurance?
January 19, 2021 - 12:30 PM
You might be able to cut back a bit on contents coverage, but our experts recommend not changing your policy otherwise.
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Ask Sam: How does New York's new eviction ban protect me?
January 13, 2021 - 09:30 AM
The New York State Legislature recently passed a bill that was signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo, which puts into effect two eviction moratoriums. The first puts a stay on any eviction proceedings commenced on or before March 7th, 2020, for 60 days, while the second stays all eviction matters commenced between December 28th, 2020 and January 27th, 2021 for 60 days from filing.
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