Emily Myers

It’s typical for a family member to act as a guarantor, although anyone who meets the requirements can step up or you can seek out a company offering guarantor services. The financial liability is serious—if you don’t pay your rent, the landlord will seek the money from the guarantor, so when you’re asking a relative or friend to take on this role, you’ll want to be as transparent as possible about your finances.

Buying and selling your apartment in NYC is complicated enough but divorce throws another wrench in the works. For buyers, expect negotiations to be slower than usual and viewings to be a bit more complicated. 

The city has secured $6.5 million to turn a former FDNY firehouse in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, into a non-profit music school.

Rents in NYC keep going up with fewer concessions being offered. That’s because reluctant buyers continue to crowd into the rental market, making it harder to find a well-priced apartment.

All buildings undergoing major roof renovations are now required to install solar panels, green roofs, or some combination of the two in order to comply with NYC’s new green roof laws. The changes mainly affect new construction but if a building is being expanded to include new floors (like a penthouse addition), or the roof is entirely replaced, the renovation will need to meet the new requirements. 

The relocation of homeless New Yorkers to Newark has been halted while discussions take place about how the program is implemented.