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:
What happens when the owner of a NYC co-op dies?
July 8, 2019 - 10:00 AM
"When a cooperative shareholder passes away, the heirs need to review the terms of the shareholder’s will, if any, and the terms of the cooperative’s proprietary lease," says Jeffrey Reich, a partner at Schwartz Sladkus Reich Greenberg Atlas. It's likely that if the heir named in the will wants the apartment and is qualified financially to take it on, they'll be approved.
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How can I stop my neighbors from stinking up the building common areas with their smoking?
July 1, 2019 - 13:00 PM
Last summer, a new smoking law went into effect that requires all NYC multi-dwelling buildings to establish and clearly post a smoking policy. Note that this doesn't mean smoking is banned inside apartment buildings, but rather that every building must determine its own rules regarding smoking.
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Ask Sam: My landlord has added several riders to my rent-stabilized lease. Is that legal?
June 26, 2019 - 10:00 AM
The rent stabilization code specifies that landlords must renew stabilized leases at the legal, regulated rent and “on the same terms and conditions as the expiring lease.”
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5 reasons your contractors’ bids are higher than you (or your architect) expected
June 24, 2019 - 13:00 PM
Bolster, a New York City-based, design-build firm has created a seamless renovation experience by producing a cost estimate using an algorithm informed by data from similar projects, as well as professional estimates based on site visits, to provide a statistically accurate prediction of the cost of every project upfront. These cost estimates then enable owners to plan to their budget and avoid getting hit by major sticker shock later.
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I'm not getting cold water from the faucets in my co-op. What should I do?
June 17, 2019 - 09:00 AM
It takes five to 10 minutes for the water in my co-op's kitchen and bathroom to get cold. The water in my kitchen can start out as high as 80 degrees when I first turn it on. The board has been no help so far. Is there a legal temperature for cold water in NYC? What can I do?
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Ask Sam: How much information do I have to give the landlord before I move in with my friend?
June 12, 2019 - 10:00 AM
New York Real Property Law states that a tenant must give the landlord the name of their roommate within 30 days of that roommate moving in or within 30 days of a request by the landlord. Legally speaking, then, landlords cannot request information like social security numbers, employment information, and so on. But pushing back against a nosy landlord is another question.
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