Virginia K. Smith

Dear Sam: I’ve been living as a roommate in a rent-stabilized apartment that I found on Craigslist, and am thinking of suing for a rent overcharge. It’s an alleged two-bedroom, but one of the rooms is makeshift with no window. And my roommate, who’s the primary leaseholder, charges me more than half the rent. Is this legal?

Tips on keeping plants alive in even a small, dark apartment (DNAinfo)

Depressing new data says NYC mortgages are even tougher to lock down for minorities (StreetEasy)

It's OK if you're jealous of these Brooklyn homes with pools (AM NY)

Q: My daughter just rented an apartment in Manhattan and to my dismay I discovered on move-in day that there was a chemical dependency residential treatment program right across the street. The broker didn't say anything about this but took an almost $6,000 fee. Do I have any recourse?

A: In a word: no. Your broker was under no obligation whatsoever to tell you about a nearby rehab center, say our experts.

Even as the Attorney General tries to make it harder than ever to list your apartment on a short-term rental site, a growing number of services are aiming to make the process as easy as possible, the New York Times reported over the weekend. For hosts willing to pay fees that can vary anywhere from three to 50 percent of their profits, a variety of services are now available, offering to handle everything f