Marjorie Cohen

When you move into a new rental, there's one hard and fast rule for landlords to follow: the place must be in "broom-swept" condition, meaning it's clean, and the appliances have to work, says Dylan Pichulik, CEO of XL Real Property Management, a New York property manager. "All the rest is negotiable," he says. In other words, you can get your landlord to pay for some repairs and upgrades before you move in. On the flip side, there are some things that will almost definitely come out of your own pocket.

Drawing up your reno wishlist? Here are twenty ideas that your architect is going to try to talk you out of. Go ahead and ask, if you must, but be prepared for a "no." The reason: your idea is unadvisable for structural, aesthetic or practical reasons. 1. Let’s reconfigure the layout of the apartment. If your plan involves a dramatic change in the apartment layout--meaning that the fixtures link sinks and toilets will have to be moved further away from the plumbing risers--it will require extensive branch piping work to connect the new fixtures to the immovable risers in addition to probable wet-over-dry resistance from the board. 2. I want to use the least expensive contractor. Does ‘you get what you pay for’ mean anything to you? It should.

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NYC Apartment Laws, And What It'll Cost You If You Break Them

Buying a fixer-upper isn't necessarily a bad idea--so long as you know what you're getting into. If this is your first time at the renovation rodeo, you're probably harboring some not-quite-accurate perceptions about the project in store for you. We asked some of the city's real estate brokers--who are often the first to hear about a buyer's renovation aspirations--to list the most popular examples of wishful thinking they've encountered.

Newlyweds Shirley Jian and Peter Chan just bought their first house, a four-bedroom, two-family in Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn for $968,000. They figure the duplex rental unit will cut their monthly costs in half. But not yet. They're currently upgrading the ground-floor space. “Buyers like us need to make room in their budget for renovations and for the time it will take to do any work needed in the rental unit before it can be rented out," Chan says. They bought the house in December 2013, and expect to rent out the second unit in April. The experience is likely familiar to anyone who recently bought a home with one or two rental units: Done right, it can help pay the mortgage and upkeep on your property. Done wrong, it can be a nightmare that sucks your time and money.