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For the first time in New York City, a multi-unit building will legally consist entirely of what the city has dubbed "micro units," which are apartments of between 250 and 370 square feet. Construction will begin by the end of the year on the 10-story, 55-microunit building at 335 East 27th Street in Manhattan.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently revised flood maps covering sections of New York City and Westchester. During Hurricane Sandy, raging floodwaters went far beyond the borders of the danger zones drawn on earlier maps. New York’s flood maps hadn’t been updated since the 1980s and do not reflect today’s risks. The new interactive map that FEMA has issued shows double the number of structures at risk of flooding from an...

Tenants have given up on their Housing Court fight over a foul odor in their Manhattan Beach apartment building caused by Superstorm Sandy. A storm surge in the basement of the rent-stabilized building caused leaks in stored fuel oil. According to the tenants, they couldn’t afford independent environmental tests to prove fumes from fuel residue are a health hazard the building's owner should clean up.

A bill that gets tougher on owners who make cosmetic repairs to buildings but fail to address underlying structural problems was recently considered by the city council. If the bill is approved, the city's Department of Housing Preservation and Development would be able to issue orders to property owners requiring repairs to fix underlying conditions causing problems in multiple apartments in the same building. The orders would be enforceable in housing...

On Nov. 29, the tenants and the company that controls Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village agreed to a tentative $68.7 million settlement, settling claims of rent overcharges since 2003. Under the settlement of the closely watched case, tenants who have lived in the affected apartments will get anywhere from $150 to six figures. The nine plaintiffs will each receive at least $25,000.

Due to a landmark deal between owners and government officials, displaced victims of Hurricane Sandy will be given priority for approximately 2,500 vacant apartments throughout the five boroughs. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, more than 96,000 households in the region are eligible for housing aid.

A New York state appeals court recently ruled that a Manhattan apartment complex cannot retroactively give up tax incentives in order to deregulate rent-stabilized units. The unanimous ruling by the Appellate Division, First Department, held that London Terrace Gardens, a complex that includes nearly 1,000 apartments, cannot repay the benefits it received under the city's J-51 tax incentive program.

On Oct. 29, as winds from Hurricane Sandy reached its height, the facade of an apartment building in Chelsea tore away, exposing the apartments inside. The building had serious warning signs before the collapse, as fire trucks and emergency vehicles were present before the facade fell. According to the fire department, a call came in just before 8 p.m. Monday that debris was falling onto the sidewalk.