Legal basement apartments coming to New York City

WNYC News | Oct 11, 2025

Legal basement apartments are finally coming to New York City. In late September, the Department of Buildings opened up the application for homeowners who want to convert their basements, attics or backyards into so-called ancillary dwelling units.

WNYC's data reporter, Joe Hong joins Weekend Edition host David Furst to talk about where people want to build basement units and the safety issues the city needs to address.

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