A brownstone is a row house whose front is faced with brown sandstone, a soft stone that was popular in the 1800s. Most were built in East Coast cities, especially New York, as attached homes sharing side walls with their neighbors. Today the word is often used for any row house of that era and style.
Many brownstones that began as single-family homes are now divided into a few apartments, which makes them a familiar type of small rental building.
Typical layout
A classic brownstone is three to five stories tall on a narrow lot, with:
- A stoop, a set of steps up to the main entrance on the parlor floor
- A garden level a half story below the street, often its own apartment with access to a rear yard
- The parlor floor, with high ceilings and the most detailed woodwork
- Upper floors with bedrooms, often converted to separate units
When a building is divided, a common arrangement is an owner’s duplex on the garden and parlor floors with one or two rental apartments above.
Renting out a brownstone
Owners of divided brownstones are small landlords in most respects. They sign leases, collect rent and handle repairs for each unit. A few issues come up more often than in newer buildings:
- Legal unit count. The number of apartments allowed is set by the certificate of occupancy. A unit added without approval can create safety and legal problems.
- Older systems. Plumbing, wiring and heating may be decades old and need planned replacement.
- Shared systems. Units often share one boiler or water meter, so the lease should say how heat and water are paid for.
- Local rules. Rent regulation can apply to some older buildings in some cities, and historic district rules can limit exterior work.
Example
A hypothetical brownstone has an owner occupied duplex and two rental apartments at $2,800 and $3,100 a month. The rentals bring in $70,800 a year. The owner budgets for a boiler service contract, a masonry repair fund for the stone facade and the extra insurance a rental requires, and tracks each apartment separately so the profit on the rental portion is clear for taxes.
Why it matters for landlords
Brownstones can be appealing rentals, with character that draws tenants, but they come with older building costs and local rules that newer properties may not have. Treat the facade, roof and systems as long term capital items, and keep records unit by unit. In TenantLoop, each apartment is its own unit with its own lease and ledger, and expenses can be assigned to the property so the rental side of a mixed owner and rental building stays easy to report.
Related terms
In practice. How the term shows up day to day.
Is every row house a brownstone?
No. Brownstone strictly means a row house faced with brown sandstone. Row houses faced with brick or limestone are often called brownstones in casual use, but the name comes from the stone.
Are brownstones single-family homes?
Some are, but many were divided into two to four apartments over the years. Check the certificate of occupancy to see how many legal units the building has.
Can I change the front of a brownstone?
Often only with approval. Many brownstones sit in historic districts where exterior changes, including windows and stoops, need a permit from a preservation body.