Flouting the rent laws, demand for Brooklyn's waterfront, & more

By Austin Havens-Bowen | March 4, 2020 - 11:00AM

Some landlords and brokers insist they can ask for fees that are illegal under the new rent laws and renters feel powerless to push back (The New York Times)

Surprise! The Federal Reserve just cut its benchmark interest rate by half a point in response to the coronavirus's toll on the economy, but don’t expect lower mortgage rates (MarketWatch)

There's continued demand from buyers for new luxury waterfront properties along southern Brooklyn's waterfront, which was devastated by Hurricane Sandy eight years ago (Brooklyn Paper)

Eighth Street in Astoria is the city's noisiest street to live on, according to a new PropertyClub report (press release)

The city is challenging a State Supreme Court judge's ruling that aims to reduce the height of an Upper West Side condo building that's almost completed (Curbed)

Affordable housing lotteries opened in Williamsburg and in Crown Heights (Bklyner and 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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