The Brick Underground Podcast

Samuel J. Himmelstein has been a New York City tenants rights lawyer for decades. Here, he shares his stories about fighting unethical landlords at their game, and what renters can do to protect their rights.

New York City has a complicated relationship with Airbnb and other short term rental sites. The city is keen to get out the message that renting your place for less than 30 days when you're out of town is illegal. Host Emily Myers is joined by Matt Murphy, Executive Director of the NYU Furman Center to consider the impact of home-sharing on the city's rents and affordability. Plus, are penalties too steep and how do you stay on the right side of the law as a host or visitor?

Brick Underground’s "Take It Or Leave It" column is the subject of this week’s podcast. Host Emily Myers is joined by Jennifer White Karp, Brick Underground’s managing editor, and Constantine Valhouli, founder of the analytics firm NeighborhoodX, for a discussion of how to read between the lines of New York City rental listings and avoid getting tripped up by, among other things, illegal bedrooms, slick staging, and confusing rent information.

Does it matter if I don’t get a full copy of the lease returned to me once I've signed it? Can I install a portable washing machine in my rental? What compensation am I entitled to if the only elevator in the building is shut down for maintenance? This episode of the podcast is all about your questions. Host Emily Myers is joined by Corcoran broker Vicki Negron and real estate attorney Steven Kirkpatrick of Romer Debbas to help find solutions to some of the most pressing questions renters and buyers are asking right now.