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:
I want to fix up my NYC rental apartment. What kinds of upgrades can I do?
November 23, 2020 - 12:30 PM
You are entitled to make limited, minor changes to your New York City rental apartment, but anything beyond that requires your landlord's permission, our experts say.
Read More
We have headaches and breathing problems because of smoke from my neighbor's fire pit. What can we do?
November 16, 2020 - 12:30 PM
Not only are fire pits illegal on balconies, they're also illegal even for tenants and owners with backyards. Under the city's fire code, fire pits are considered to be open fires, which are prohibited in the five boroughs.
Read More
Ask Sam: I'm month-to-month. Do I have the right to take a roommate that my landlord rejected?
November 11, 2020 - 09:30 AM
Tenants with standard leases are protected by the roommate law, which grants them the right to share their apartment with another adult not related to them, and that adult’s dependent children. Under this law, if there are multiple tenants named on the lease, they can have multiple roommates, as long as the total number of roommates and tenants does not exceed the number of tenants listed on the lease.
Read More
What’s the best way to find an accessible NYC rental building for someone with a disability?
November 9, 2020 - 12:30 PM
Buildings that were built or extensively renovated after 2012 are required to be ADA-compliant.
Read More
What do the new energy efficiency building grades mean to NYC apartment buyers?
November 2, 2020 - 09:30 AM
A poor grade is not necessarily a dealbreaker.
Read More
I just found out my new 'landlord' doesn't actually own my apartment. What should I do?
October 26, 2020 - 13:00 PM
The management company can function as the landlord. That means the person or company that you pay rent to and contact when you have a problem is a separate entity from the owner of the building.
Read More