LandlordsNY In The News

Brick Underground, June 12, 2019

NYC to get landmark tenant protections under new agreement that's poised to become law

Over two million rent-stabilized tenants in New York City are going to be better protected from rent hikes under newly announced rent reforms. The Democratic-held New York State Assembly and Senate have agreed to change the rules on rent-regulated apartments just as the law that governs rent stabilized apartments was set to expire. The newly hammered-out agreement ends vacancy decontrol, makes preferential rent last for the entire tenancy, and addresses Major Capital Improvements (aka building renovations) so they don’t create such a weighty rent burden. The agreement, which is expected to be signed by governor, also makes these changes permanent by taking away the expiration period that brought the law up for renewal every four years. Landlords have fought hard against the measures and argued buildings would fall into disrepair unless there were incentives for upgrades. They’ve also predicted a wave of condo conversions if landlords can’t make ends meet. J'Nell Simmons, CEO of Landlords NY, a landlord resource, says these changes have "many landlords questioning their choice to become a landlord in the first place."

Crain's New York, June 10, 2019

Small landlords caught in rent-regs crossfire; Reforms could prompt sales to big developers

J'Nell Simmons is the CEO of LandlordsNY.com, a platform where property owners can share advice, questions and experiences. The most frequent concerns Simmons reports seeing from her 5,500 members are about complying with ever-more-burdensome laws and regulations—and staying financially viable while doing so. "Owners are trying to best plan and prepare how they can continue to manage their properties and afford the upkeep, maintenance, improvements, etc., with decreasing options for rent increases," she said. "I see a lot of owners just making sure they're compliant, and what they need to do to avoid more costly violations, how to dot all their I's on the applications." The problem, says lawyer Michelle Itkowitz, who has represented both owners and tenants, is that politicians respond to renter complaints about landlord misbehavior by pushing for more regulation, not enhanced enforcement. That creates more hurdles for the law-abiding, while offenders ignore the rules..."

Brick Underground, January 09, 2019

Who is Responsible for a Clogged Drain: You or Your landlord?

Many residential buildings in New York City—and their plumbing systems—are old, so if you live in one of them you can expect a clogged drain in your sink or bathtub to happen. And when that does happen, your nice, hot shower can quickly go from “ahh” to “ugh” as water starts rising past your feet. But a perk of being a renter is that your super or landlord is responsible for many of your apartment’s repairs, including clogged pipes. If you own your place, however, those things are pretty much all on you—to handle yourself or contact a professional to deal with. "Generally, a blocked drain will be handled by your landlord. Mostly they prefer you let them handle it as opposed to trying to deal with it yourself because you could potentially damage the pipes,” says J’Nell Simmons, CEO of LandlordsNY, a social network for vetted landlords and property owners that own and manage more than 1 million residential apartments across the city.

Brick Underground, December 14, 2018

6 Tips on Improving Your Relationship With Your Landlord

Most New Yorkers can share stories of spats with their landlord. Whether they are sparked by erupting toilets or rainfall in the kitchen or more minor issues, it's rarely an easy relationship to navigate. There’s an inherent imbalance between the tenant and the landlord. “You’re coming from two different points of interest,” says Jay Fox, content director of Landlords NY, “so there’s always going to be tension there.” There’s plenty at stake—your home, your security deposit, and possibly a reference letter for your next apartment. The best advice is to start the relationship on a good foundation, keep lines of communication open, build trust, and sometimes just suck up the small stuff. 1) Pick a good landlord When you’re apartment hunting, consider an assessment of the landlord as part of your decision process. Teresa Stephenson, a broker at Platinum Properties, says, “You can often get a tenor of the landlord just through the application process.” She recommends...

Brick Underground, December 12, 2018

Should I Document the Condition of My Rental?

If your new New York City rental isn’t in an immaculate new building, the chances are it’ll have some nicks and scratches. Hopefully, it will have some fresh paint on the walls but if you’re worried you might have trouble getting your security deposit back when you move out, it’s not a bad idea to document the condition of the unit before you move in. But how does a tenant know this will be favorably received by the landlord? ...

NTDTV.com, September 30, 2016

NYC Real Estate Expo

LNY Contributor and staff member Cassy Yuen speaks with New Tang Dynasty Television about LandlordsNY services for Landlords and property managers. LandlordsNY offers Concierge Service available for all owners in many languages such as Chinese, Spanish, French, Russian, Hebrew, Japanese, etc.. Concierge service gives owners immediate access to DHCR, HPD, and Property Mgmt Advisors on any question they may have. Join LandlordsNY to sign up for Concierge Services and connect with thousands of fellow landlords & managers.

Mann Report Management, June 02, 2016

Landlords NY Briefing: The Untold Stories Straight From Landlords and Property Managers

LandlordsNY is a social network and online platform designed exclusively for landlords and property managers. There are over 2,500 members who collectively own and manage over 678,000 units and 71 million sf of property in New York. The success of LandlordsNY is due to landlords and property managers who now have a place where they can connect socially and learn ...

Mann Report Management, June 02, 2016

Management Matters: J'Nell Simmons, Executive Director LandlordsNY

J'Nell Simmons is the executive director at LandordsNY, the social network for landlords and property managers, which is free to those who own or manage property as a business. How long have you been in the business? My company LandlordsNY, the social network for landlords and property managers, launched four years ago. What Attracted you to the business? I entered the real estate industry from a different angle than most. As an entrepreneur with a background...

Mann Report Management, June 02, 2016

LandlordsNY Celebrates Largest Turnout for Property Management Symposium

Social network for landlords and property managers, LandlordsNY held its annual Property Management Symposium at New World Stages. LandlordsNY members enjoyed a 5-star kosher breakfast while swapping war stories, attending panel discussions and perusing 25 sponsoring vendor booths. There is no other event that hosts this amount of landlords and property managers ...

The Real Deal, June 02, 2016

An insider’s guide to evicting rent-stabilized tenants

LandlordsNY Legal Expert Michelle Maratto Itkowitz is featured in The Real Deal Magazine. “Careful when you go outside or some tenant group will bust you,” a young real estate professional with a Gordon Gekko-esque hairstyle joked inside the men’s room. “They don’t have to,” a colleague fired back. “They’ve got de Blasio.” Such was the mood after Michelle Maratto Itkowitz, a well-known landlord attorney...

Mann Report, November 01, 2015

Mann Report Cover Story

"There's a real need for this service, short of having a huge circle of friends or paying experts to try to find solutions," says J'Nell Simmons, executive director, whose 2,000 members own, manage or service more than 64,000 rental units and 54 million square feet of property in New York. LandlordsNY provides a series of services, including a private forum where members can discuss topics of interest, free advice from qualified consultants, and online panels.

El Diario, June 30, 2015

Caseros se oponen a renovacion de renta estabilizada

Por su parte, miembros de la red online de caseros Landlords NY destacó que con esto también se afecta a pequeños empresarios. “Muchos no se dan cuenta de que los caseros no son todos magnates de los bienes raíces. Hay una tremenda cantidad de inmuebles en Nueva York cuyos dueños son familias e inversionistas jóvenes”, planteó la directora ejecutiva de Landlords NY J'Nell Simmons.

New York Business Journal, June 30, 2015

Landlords: Rent freeze ruling is 'beginning of the end'

Trying to make ends meet with the new legislation is a concern for Aida Gashi, who is a former property manager, and current head of Business Development of LandlordsNY, a social network for small or medium landlords in the city. She said the freeze is another regulation that building owners will have to hurdle over and deal with while making decisions.

Brick Underground, July 01, 2014

Security Deposit 101: What Your Landlord Will (And Won't) Forgive

The rule of thumb? Leave your place “broom clean,” meaning free of detritus, says Trevor Matwey, a former property manager and a research analyst for LandlordsNY, a resource network for New York landlords.​ “Give it back to the landlord as clean or cleaner than it was given to you.” Broken tiles in the bathroomare not considered wear and tear, so the replacement costs can be deducted from your deposit.

Brick Underground, May 01, 2014

Want To Be a Successful Landlord? 10 Building Upgrades That Will Actually Pay Off

Even in New York, the laws of supply and demand only get you so far when it comes to maximizing the profit potential. Much of the rest relies on a secret sauce of capital improvements: a strategic mix of bells and whistles that draw tenants willing to pay higher rents, along with improvements your tenants may not even notice that reduce the cost of operating your building.

Brick Underground, April 01, 2014

The 7 Biggest Mistakes of First-time Landlords

Thinking about becoming a New York landlord? Getting a handle on net rents and cap rates is helpful, but it won't keep you from making the mistakes that trip up newbie landlords time and again. 1. Not hiring a superintendent Looking to save money, new landlords often forgo hiring a part-time super, thinking they can probably just get a handyman or industry-specific contractor—such as a plumber, electrician, or painter--or even do things themselves.

Brick Underground, February 01, 2014

Top 5 Reasons for Landlords To Get Schooled on March 4th

LandlordsNY, the two-year-old insider's network of New York City landlords and property managers, is setting up shop next Tuesday, March 4, for its first ever bricks-and-mortar property management symposium, "Landlords Schooling Landlords." More than 300 members will gather at the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan at 9am.

The News Funnel, October 01, 2013

NYC Real Estate Expo Recap

"As the only full-scale real estate expo geared toward real estate professionals, over 3,000 CRE representatives were in attendance. According to Holly, "I was in awe of how many innovative tech companies were there, especially startups! The energy in the room was overwhelming and we left feeling encouraged and motivated. The turnout was great and I look forward to attending the next NYC Real Estate Expo." We spoke to LandlordsNY Executive Director top hear her thoughts.

The Cooperator, July 01, 2013

Crowd Control: Multiple Occupants Create Many Problems

"We have heard several landlords stating that when the economy is down, it becomes very common for people to start taking on roommates that pay," says J'Nell Simmons, director of LandlordsNY, an online network that provides resources to NY landlords and property managers. "This way, she continues, "they themselves get to keep their condo/apartment and get some relief by someone sharing the costs."

Real Estate Weekly, April 01, 2013

Landlords sitting pretty at BuildingsNY show

Real Estate start-up LandlordsNY.com partners with BuildingsNY, the largest real estate show in New York, to present the VIP Lounge at this year's Expo April 24-25 at the Javits Center. LandlordsNY is a virtual network exclusively for landlords and property managers in NY that provides resources to assist in running a successful business while allowing members to connect and learn from each other’s shared experiences and knowledge, all in one place.

NYREJ, February 01, 2013

Company of the Month: LandlordsNY.com

Brooklyn, NY In the ever growing real estate market, today's generation of landlords and property managers now have a fresh and new way to help them run an efficient and successful business-LandlordsNY.com. For the first time, landlords and managers have free, unlimited access to a team of experts, virtual collaboration of their peers and a plethora of real estate services and resources, all in one place.

NYREJ, January 01, 2013

Answers to Post-Hurricane Sandy Landlord Questions

Hurricane Sandy hit the N.Y. area at the end of Oct. 2012. As soon as the dust settled in early Nov., two pervasive questions were posed by landlords. First: "Will my tenants have to pay rent if the premises were compromised as a result of the hurricane?," and Second: "How long will it be, before we can proceed with cases commenced and pending prior to Sandy?"

NYREJ, November 01, 2012

LandlordsNY.com Offers Membership, Free Resources

As a landlord or property manager it's an ongoing challenge to run a successful, efficient business in a complex market like New York. Many landlords often say it feels like every day of the year a new law or regulation comes out from the city or state. A problem for many landlords is that short of having a large circle of close friends or family in the real estate business to turn to for guidance, landlords and managers are left trying to process these new laws/regulations on their own.

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