Hi,
My friends and I are students and recently rented a renovated 3br apartment in Manhattan. It is our first time renting in Manhattan and although we tried to do our due diligence, we were not aware of all of the rules.
A colleague of ours came over and told us that the third bedroom, which is in the basement, is illegal because it does not have a window. Outside the room there is a hallway with stairs to the main level as well as a door at the other end that goes through an underground storage area to the outside. Our friend said that the bedroom is illegal because not having a window is very dangerous if there were to be a fire. This is very concerning to us.
It has only been a couple of days since we have moved in, however our roommate is understandably worried about living in the room downstairs.
1) Is this room dangerous if there were to be a fire?
2) Is this an illegal room according to NYC law?
3) What is the best way to proceed with this situation? We don't want our roommate to live in a unsafe environment, but we have signed a year lease.
Also, we went through a broker for this apartment which was no-fee (paid by the landlord), but he did not mention anything about the room. Also, the room was marketed as a 3br apartment and I still have the marketing paper from the broker.
We are really worried, any advice would be greatly appreciated.