The Brick Underground Podcast BrickUnderground.com helps readers navigate NYC real estate and thrive in t

In this episode, we take a look at the biggest New York City landlords you’ve probably never heard of—private equity-backed owners. The number of these investor landlords has increased during the pandemic and when private equity is involved in the purchase of a rental building the outcome is rarely, if ever, positive for the tenants living there. Investigative reporter Hannah Levintova talks with host Emily Myers about what she uncovered reporting on this topic for the national publication Mother Jones.
 
Hannah Levintova’s work on this topic includes these articles: 
Real Estate Predators Tried to Cash In on the Pandemic. Then Tenants Fought Back
Everything Everywhere All at Once: How Private Equity Rules Your World
Public data on who owns what in NYC: Who owns what in nyc?
For help getting your rent history, contact New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal's rent administration office at 718-739-6400 or by submitting a question online.
 

Fires and flooded apartments pose risks for New Yorkers, prompting many to ask: How do I stay safe in my apartment? In this episode, Robert O’Brien, co-owner of New York Fire Consultants and a former F.D.N.Y. firefighter talks with host Emily Myers, offering tips on how to minimize fire hazards, find out if our building is up to code, determine if a basement apartment is legal, and where to look for your building's fire safety plan. The episode touches on personal safety issues and gives some reminders about a landlord's responsibility for looking after residents. 

If you want to rent in NYC right now, what should you expect? Apartments are no longer sitting empty and the balance of power is tipping in favor of landlords. So how do you get the edge? In this episode of the podcast, Adrian Savino, director of leasing and business development at Living New York, joins host Emily Myers to shed light on where the deals are as landlords pull concessions and raise rents.

 
 

If you’ve ever wanted to put your New York City apartment to work by trading it for a week’s vacation somewhere else, this might be the year. Surging demand and fewer listings for short -term rentals are pushing up prices in popular vacation spots and if you’re traveling with unvaccinated children you might well be looking for an alternative to a busy hotel. Mary Lowengard, a contributing writer for Brick Underground, joins host Emily Myers to offer advice from decades of experience swapping her Upper East Side co-op for places in Europe and the U.S.
 













 

In this guide to negotiating, Mike Walker, residential sales manager at R New York, joins host Emily Myers to share some practical tips on how to get what you want when you are buying or selling. 

Is it a red flag if a developer has failed multiple building inspections as you go to close on your apartment? What if there's no Certificate of Occupancy? What are you signaling as a buyer if you offer the asking price on an apartment with your initial bid? In this episode of the podcast we discuss your real estate questions as the city’s sales market goes into overdrive. Host Emily Myers is joined by Allison Chiaramonte, an agent at Warburg Realty and attorney Shaun Pappas, a partner at Starr Associates.