No broker fee in NYC, honestly

A broker fee in New York is usually one month's rent, and often fifteen percent of the annual rent, which is nearly two months. On a $3,500 apartment that is $6,300 before you have a key. Here is how "no fee" actually works.

Three kinds of "no fee"

1. Owner-paid. The landlord pays the broker. Common in larger buildings and with management companies. Real no-fee for you.
2. Direct from landlord. No broker involved at all. Real no-fee, and the reason small-landlord listings are worth chasing.
3. Rolled into rent. The fee is gone but the rent is higher for the first year. Not fake, but do the math: a $200 bump over twelve months is $2,400, versus a $3,500 fee. Sometimes still a good deal, sometimes not.

The 2025 change

The FARE Act took effect in June 2025. It bars landlords' brokers from charging fees to renters who did not hire them. Whoever hires the broker pays. In practice, many owner-paid listings quietly raised rents, and some landlords went direct. Fewer fees, slightly higher asks.

How to tell

Ask one question before the showing: "Who is paying the broker on this one?" If the answer is anything other than "the owner" or "nobody," it is a fee, whatever the listing says.

On Nessoo

Every listing on the Exchange is no broker fee to the renter. Landlords list directly or through partners who agreed to owner-paid terms for verified applicants. You pay a one-time fee when you verify, capped by law at $20 in New York, and nothing else. Details on the pricing page.