Basement apartments provide affordable housing options in crowded urban hubs like New York City, where the average rent for a Manhattan apartment is $4,140, according to RENTCafé data. But far too ...

Jeff Somers is a freelancer who has been writing about writing, books, personal finance, and home maintenance since 2012. When not writing, Jeff spends his free time fixing up his old house. He has ...

In New York City, the basement floors of most buildings pose a conundrum for public officials. Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of New Yorkers live in basement and cellar apartments, ...

For many low-income and immigrant New Yorkers, an unregulated basement or cellar unit is all they can afford. While the city has made efforts to legalize underground apartments, like a pilot program ...

A pilot program to convert illegal basement apartments in parts of Brooklyn into legal and safe units has just five active participants out of roughly 8,000 homeowners initially contacted, city ...

“Instead of turning a blind eye to the suffering of basement and cellar apartment dwellers, disproportionately low-income and from immigrant communities, we must find the political courage to face ...

Basement apartments help alleviate the housing crunch in urban areas by providing affordable options. Illegal apartments that are not up to code can result in unsafe living conditions. As a landlord, ...