Nearly 80,000 homeless in NYC while new condos sit empty, landlords' gloomy prediction, & more

By Austin Havens-Bowen | January 22, 2020 - 11:00AM

After historic changes to the state's rent laws, landlord groups predicted that the city's housing stock would deteriorate, however a new report shows that maintenance violations have declined slightly (Gothamist)

Even as nearly 80,000 people sleep in New York City’s shelters or on the streets, roughly half of NYC luxury condo markets that came on the market in the last five years remain unsold (The Atlantic)

Meryl Streep has sold her four-bedroom Tribeca penthouse for $15.8 million, after originally listing it for $25 million back in 2018 (The Real Deal)

Ever wonder where the city earned 'The Big Apple' nickname? A local historian thinks it originated 100 years ago in a conversation between two stable workers (Gothamist)

City preservationists want The Frick to buy Jeffrey Epstein's mansion in lieu of the museum's proposed expansion plan (Patch)

An affordable housing lottery opened for two apartments in Brownsville, with rent starting at $1,400 for a one bedroom (Brownstoner)

Austin Havens-Bowen

Staff Writer

Staff writer Austin Havens-Bowen covers the rental market and answers renters' questions in a column called Realty Bites. He previously reported on local news for the Queens Ledger and The Hunts Point Express in the Bronx. He graduated from Hunter College with a BA in media studies. He rents a one-bedroom apartment in Astoria with his boyfriend and their two cats.

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