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: How do I find out if I’ve been overcharged for rent, and what can I do about it?
January 22, 2020 - 10:00 AM
If you suspect your apartment is supposed to be rent-stabilized your first step is to request the apartment’s rent history from the Division of Homes and Community Renewal (DHCR). Then, bring the history to an attorney who can help you parse the rent increases over the years, and whether they were legitimate.
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My landlord threatens to keep my security if I don't manage apartment showings. Is this legal?
January 21, 2020 - 09:00 AM
Refusing to give brokers access to your apartment at all hours is not grounds for withholding it. If you're concerned your landlord might refuse to return your deposit, you could use it as your last month's rent. "Even though you're technically not supposed to use your security deposit for the last month's rent, I might do it, because the landlord is threatening to act illegally," says attorney Sam Himmelstein.
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Can a co-op board ask for my credit card statement?
January 13, 2020 - 12:00 PM
Legally speaking, if your application is already underway, there's not much you can do to push back against a co-op board's requests for information. In fact, doing so could cost you any deposit you've already put down on the co-op, but you can redact the specific activity.
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Ask Sam: Our landlord is renting to a commercial tenant without changing the Certificate of Occupancy. Can we withhold rent?
January 8, 2020 - 10:00 AM
If your building lacks a valid CO, you and your neighbors can stop paying rent until the situation is corrected.
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With mortgage rates so low, is it better to buy or refinance and renovate?
January 6, 2020 - 09:00 AM
2019 ended with mortgage interest rates lower than they were at the beginning of the year, and economists expect those rates to stay low in 2020, according to MarketWatch. To decide whether to take advantage by refinancing to renovate or buying a new property entirely, start by considering whether you are happy with your current place.
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What is the difference between a co-op offering plan and a proprietary lease?
December 30, 2019 - 10:00 AM
The offering plan describes how a building turns into a co-op. It provides a description of the cooperative building, budget and cost information, and a summary of the rights of the cooperative shareholders, the board of directors and the sponsor. The proprietary lease is found within the offering plan, and it covers the relationship between shareholders and the cooperative itself, outlining the rules for renovating, subletting, maintenance, repairs, and more.
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