After the Dynasty mansion era came the 90s, and the fetishisation of the loft apartment: a specific kind of restless, urban fantasy, part treehouse and part cocktail bar, a stage set for gazing enigmatically down at streamers of tail-lights from a lofty height.
The federal prosecutor's office, which began sending the letters in January, has asked owners for meetings, building inspections and all the records of the design and layout of the apartments in specific buildings.
Ms. Brown said roommate seekers should be wary of ads that sound like a specific apartment listing, especially if the apartment sounds too good to be true.
If you aren't selected by the landlord for a specific apartment, you have no idea what the apartment owner does with your (rejected) form — does it just go in the trash?
"Landlords can choose the specific apartment they want to reside in regardless of whether other apartments are available or whether the targeted tenant has the lowest rent in the building," Ms. McGuire said.
Generally, Mr. Spiegel said, a landlord can deregulate a stabilized apartment only under specific circumstances.
"One way that some companies scam consumers is to place an ad for what sounds like a specific apartment in the paper," she said.
"Everyone's asking me for advice on whether to buy now," he said, "and I tell people different things, depending on the specific apartment or their circumstances".
With a loan secured by personal property — like co-op shares and the proprietary lease to a specific apartment — a lien known as a UCC-1 Financing Statement is filed.
He said it might be possible, however, for the letter writer to work out an arrangement in which the new owner allows the letter writer to remain in the apartment for a specific period of time after the sale.
