Legal basement conversions are coming to NYC. Here's where you might find them.

"Legal basement apartments are finally coming to New York City. Last week, the Department of Buildings launched an online application for homeowners who want to modify their basements - and also their backyards, attics and other similar types of spaces - into so-called ancillary dwelling units, or ADUs, that home hunters can rent. It's part of an ongoing effort to relieve the city's housing crisis."

"Where might we see these new subterranean and otherwise unconventional apartments start to appear? So far, the interest among building owners is not spread evenly throughout the city. And places with the highest interest may run into conflict with local lawmakers who have safety concerns, recalling four years ago, when Hurricane Ida caused flooding that killed 11 people in illegal basement apartments."

"The majority of applications have come from Queens and Staten Island, according to the city's Department of Buildings, though the agency refused to release exact figures. Both boroughs contain large numbers of the kinds of one- and two-family homes that qualify for the ancillary dwelling program. That turnout largely aligns with a survey the city conducted last year, showing that Queens and Brooklyn had the highest number of homeowners interested in modifying their basements into legal units, with Staten Island coming in third."

The Department of Buildings launched an online application enabling homeowners to modify basements, backyards, attics and similar spaces into ancillary dwelling units (ADUs) for rent to help address the housing crisis. Early applications cluster in Queens and Staten Island, matching a survey that showed Queens and Brooklyn had the highest homeowner interest; no Manhattan applications have been filed yet. Most applications are likely to come from lower-density neighborhoods with many one- and two-family homes. Local lawmakers have raised safety concerns after Hurricane Ida flooding killed 11 people in illegal basement apartments. The 2024 survey recorded just under 2,600 interested homeowners citywide, with ZIP code 11434 highest (89 respondents).

Read at Gothamist