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Its better than living in government housing or being homeless.
Though I would bet that close to 90% of those living in basements minus the illegals are actively applying to tax payer subsidized lack of income housing.
This must be an epidemic I just got in touch with someone who recently was desperate to move and rented a basement studio apartment because it's all she could find for $1700/month plus $3400 deposit. I saw the place and it is a dump and floods when it rains and smells of mold. The top of the basement is barely 2 feet above grade. Not only that, but the toilet gets clogged and the landlord told her she wasn't allowed to flush toilet paper lol. I am 100% sure this is a completely illegal apartment and she hates it and regrets moving in.
So what does she need to do to get out of the lease? She is very concerned about getting her $3400 deposit back and doesn't want to risk losing that money (she has a receipt and check copies)
edit: also, I know there is probably an official way to get this dealt with but unofficially, is there a good way to proceed to squeeze the landlord for something? (note that she really wants to move so free rent going forward wouldn't be of any interest)
I bet you $100 that most stupid landlords who already have those tenants won't have any clue about the new law and will get screwed.
If you're a hustler then go grab whatever basement apartment you can find right now. Then blackmail the landlord for $20K to walk away
Your rants are quite something. Unhinged from reality though. Do you realize how many THOUSANDS of people live in apartments like this throughout the boroughs? You go on and on about greedy landlords, but it is such a narrow and mindless observation. There are two parts to the equation. Tenants that want relatively inexpensive housing. There is also a reason that NYC really only pays lip service to enforcement. They only enforce when it is brought to their attention while doing the bare minimum "spot checking". They do the bare minimum bc the dirty secret is these Thousands of people/families would be looking for apartments and there is a little pesky thing called supply and demand. So when the demand from these now homeless thousands reaches its peak, the prices of ALL apartments will go up significantly. So please get off your high horse every time someone posts an issue about an apartment here and understand the larger context.
Your rants are quite something. Unhinged from reality though. Do you realize how many THOUSANDS of people live in apartments like this throughout the boroughs? You go on and on about greedy landlords, but it is such a narrow and mindless observation. There are two parts to the equation. Tenants that want relatively inexpensive housing. There is also a reason that NYC really only pays lip service to enforcement. They only enforce when it is brought to their attention while doing the bare minimum "spot checking". They do the bare minimum bc the dirty secret is these Thousands of people/families would be looking for apartments and there is a little pesky thing called supply and demand. So when the demand from these now homeless thousands reaches its peak, the prices of ALL apartments will go up significantly. So please get off your high horse every time someone posts an issue about an apartment here and understand the larger context.
$1700/month plus $3400 deposit is not necessarily cheap for a basement apartment. One can find a full fledged nice legal apartment for that much!
I had a friend who paid only $1,000 for a basement apartment and it was disgusting - the inside was clean, but the outside of her door was filled with rats. Yet she lived on the Upper West Side where everything was convenient.
double pad your 1 st floor. rubber mat the kitchen. If you did not receive the letter, return receipt signed, pretend you never got it. As a matter of fact, watch who comes to your door/work to give you anything.
Let the lady know that you want to have your nephew, or aunt move in soon, as you will have a family problem, make up some crap 3 months prior to lease time.
As far as her making problems, did you do any "due diligence" on this renter, or did you leave it up to a realtor? She may be a scammer, or an older lady who has legitimate medical issues. She could also have a steady stream of income, or other responsible qualities of a rent paying tenant.
Be respectful, be firm with her, be neighborly. If she stops paying rent, get an attorney, they dont cost much, maybe cost you $1200-$1500 all in.
If that basement has normal windows, maybe partial cellar or walk right in , with separate electrical and gas hook up, it is already known/expected that you have a tenant. If you are chummy with the neighbors, have a talk with them , and ask them if they can share how to make it legal. watch who you speak to , but you can usually tell who is OK to talk to.
Your rants are quite something. Unhinged from reality though. Do you realize how many THOUSANDS of people live in apartments like this throughout the boroughs? You go on and on about greedy landlords, but it is such a narrow and mindless observation. There are two parts to the equation. Tenants that want relatively inexpensive housing. There is also a reason that NYC really only pays lip service to enforcement. They only enforce when it is brought to their attention while doing the bare minimum "spot checking". They do the bare minimum bc the dirty secret is these Thousands of people/families would be looking for apartments and there is a little pesky thing called supply and demand. So when the demand from these now homeless thousands reaches its peak, the prices of ALL apartments will go up significantly. So please get off your high horse every time someone posts an issue about an apartment here and understand the larger context.
I'm not sure what medication you're supposed to be on but you would be well advised not to skip your dose next time
A landlord is by definition a business person, even if they don't realize it. That comes with big liabilities and responsibilities. Any landlord would be well advised to take that role seriously and know all aspects of the law because renting out a basement is putting your financial well being in jeopardy and completely at the mercy of the tenant who in general will have no sympathy whatsoever for a landlord even if he's just a lowly home owner trying to get by
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