quote:

Two Manhattan landlords took an unusual — and illegal — route to double their rentable space: cutting their two condos in half horizontally so they could rent out 18 tiny apartments in their Lower East Side building, according to the New York City Department of Buildings.

"The ceiling heights were 4.5 feet to 6 feet tall on each level, depending on where you were standing," Department of Buildings spokesperson Abigail Kunitz said in an email to NPR.

quote:

The exterior of the condo building at 165 Henry St. in Manhattan's Lower East Side hints at the split-level apartments inside, as air conditioners (upper left) are positioned at both the upper and lower windows of the top two floors.