Property Tales

Things don't always go as you've planned-or would ideally like them to be. Improvisation is part of life, and you've got to handle it-establish priorities and make life decisions accordingly. For me, right now, living close enough to my daughter to see her regularly and really be part of her life is most important to me. That goal really determines my living and working arrangements.

-A.E.K., 40s,

musician and musical director

A.E.K. OWNS A one-bedroom apartment in the West 70s, and he lives and works in a rented room in the West 90s.

"When I rented the room seven years ago, I intended to use it as a workplace only. At the time, my wife, daughter and I were living in my apartment-which I'd occupied since 1977. The apartment was too small, too cramped for me to work there. I needed a place for my musical scores and synthesizers, where I could coach singers, and work without disturbing or being disturbed by my family. A friend knew someone who was renting out a room in her big, rent-stabilized West End Ave. apartment. The place was affordable and perfect for me as a studio. She worked during the day, when I used the studio most-but there were no time restrictions on my use of the place, and I had access to the rest of the apartment, too. Actually, at first I wasn't there much because I was frequently on tour," he says.

"Fortunately, our agreement was that I could live there if necessary. So, when my wife and I separated three years ago, I moved to the studio, while my wife and daughter stayed in the condo. That arrangement was formalized in our divorce, which specifies that my ex-wife can stay in the condo-which we now co-own-until our daughter is 18."

That's in seven years, and A.E.K. hopes to keep the status quo for that long-although the situation is sub-ideal for several reasons.

"It's costly, for one thing. My ex-wife pays $500 a month for the apartment-basically that's the amount of interest payments on our home-equity loan. We could rent the condo for quadruple that amount if she would move. But she likes the location-and I'm not pushing her out. I could use the extra income, but the fact that my daughter is just 20 blocks away and I can see her daily is extremely important to me," he says. "In seven years, if my ex-wife stays, she'll have to pay market rent for the condo, and if she moves, we'll split the profits from renting or selling the place."

Meanwhile, A.E.K. says his rented room suits his needs. It's big enough, has sufficient closet space and a private bathroom with a huge tub. He pays $600 per month for the space, while earning $1200 to $1500 or more per month from music arranging, coaching and preps he does there. But he's concerned that the situation is a bit more tenuous than he'd like it to be.

"For one thing, I'm not sure the sublet to me is legal. So far, the building management has been laid back. They've seen me coming and going for years, and never said anything. I'm hoping that doesn't change, but with real estate so high profile now, you never know," he says. "And another thing is that my roommate's boyfriend has moved in. This hasn't really impacted my working situation-although I've stopped touring so I can be here for my daughter, and I do most of my work in my room. Fortunately, it's close to the apartment's front door, so I guide most clients into the studio without going through the rest of the place. When I coach children, their chaperones wait in the living room, and my roommate's boyfriend leaves the room. He's a nice guy. We're all good friends. But my rent hasn't changed, although there are three of us sharing the apartment. I'm uncomfortable with that. My roommate disagrees. She's told me if I don't like it, I can move. We're at a stalemate, but I have to keep my priorities straight: Being near my daughter comes first." o