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: 30 years ago, rent for my apartment more than doubled. Could it have been illegally de-stabilized?
September 27, 2023 - 12:30 PM
A tenant says their stabilized apartment's rent history shows a significant rent increase, but it could have been done legally under the rent stabilization laws at the time, says attorney Sam Himmelstein.
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Ask Sam: When does it make sense to file an HP action against my landlord?
September 13, 2023 - 16:30 PM
When your landlord won't make necessary repairs in your apartment, you can file an HP action in NYC housing court to compel them to do so.
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How do I stop my neighbor's cooking smells from wafting into my apartment?
September 12, 2023 - 10:00 AM
Here are some ways to deal with strong cooking odors coming from a neighboring apartment.
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Ask Sam: I’m being blamed for a leak that isn’t my fault. How do I get my landlord to fix it?
August 30, 2023 - 14:30 PM
A rent-stabilized tenant's bathtub leaks into the apartment below but the landlord and super refuse to make repairs. Here's attorney Sam Himmelstein's advice.
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Ask Sam: Is my landlord allowed to charge a J-51 fee after the tax abatement expires?
August 16, 2023 - 12:30 PM
A renter wants to know if it is legal for a landlord to request a J-51 fee and declare that their building is no longer rent-stabilized.
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Ask Sam: Why aren't more empty storefronts in NYC being converted to residential apartments?
July 26, 2023 - 09:30 AM
Converting commercial spaces into residential use requires significant renovation work and paperwork. Some landlords are unable or unwilling to go through the required steps to do this legally.
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