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:
Can a building super serve on a co-op board?
August 29, 2022 - 13:30 PM
Supers should attend board meetings to offer updates on building issues, but being a board member can be a conflict of interest.
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Should I refinance my mortgage to pay for an apartment renovation?
August 15, 2022 - 09:30 AM
Mortgage rates are no longer at the historic lows seen for nearly two years, which may give some borrowers pause, but don't rule out refinancing entirely.
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Ask Sam: What are a landlord’s responsibilities when elevators are out of service for upgrades?
August 10, 2022 - 13:45 PM
Landlords are obligated to provide tenants with 30 days' advance notice before shutting down elevators for upgrades.
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Why is my landlord warehousing rent-stabilized apartments? Is he looking to combine units?
August 8, 2022 - 09:30 AM
Your landlord may be keeping the apartments vacant in order to combine them with adjacent units, or he may be waiting in the hopes that rent regulation laws will shift in his favor.
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With so few rentals available, how am I supposed to find a new place by September 1st?
August 1, 2022 - 09:30 AM
With rental listings scarce, consider finding a roommate, doing a lease takeover, expanding your search to more far-flung neighborhoods or going month to month or living somewhere temporarily until inventory increases.
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Ask Sam: We deducted the cost of an emergency repair job from our rent, but our landlord insists we owe him. Is he right?
July 27, 2022 - 13:00 PM
In an emergency situation when the landlord is not available, tenants can pay out of pocket for needed repairs and then deduct it from their rent—but if the landlord refuses to acknowledge the expense, they may find themselves in a tight spot, says Sam Himmelstein.
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