No-Fee Apartments in NYC (2026)

A no-fee apartment is one where you pay no broker fee. Since June 11, 2025, the FARE Act (NYC Local Law 119 of 2024) bars a landlord's broker, including the listing agent, from charging tenants a fee, so a listing posted by the landlord or the landlord's agent should cost you no broker fee. You pay a broker only if you hire your own to search for you. Source: NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection's broker-fee FAQ (August 12, 2025).

Search listings posted by landlords, management companies, or their agents — under the FARE Act none of them can charge you a broker fee. Listing sites also let you filter for no-fee listings. Before applying, ask for the landlord's written list of every fee you will have to pay.

They cost less upfront because no broker fee is due at signing. A landlord may build its own costs into the rent, so compare the full first-year cost: monthly rent × 12, plus the security deposit (capped at one month's rent by New York State law), plus any fee you agreed to pay your own broker.

Since the FARE Act took effect, a listing posted by a landlord's agent can't charge you a broker fee in any season. What still changes with the season is how much inventory is on the market and whether landlords offer concessions, so ask about concessions on any listing.

No-fee itself is not a scam. But watch for charges under other names: a background or credit check fee above $20 (the New York State cap, which must be waived if you bring a check from the past 30 days), "lease processing" or "key" fees, and a security deposit above one month's rent. Under the FARE Act the landlord must disclose every fee before you sign. If a self-described no-fee listing asks for unexplained fees before signing, walk away.

The FARE Act (NYC Local Law 119 of 2024) took effect June 11, 2025. It bars a landlord's agent, including a listing agent, from charging prospective tenants a fee; no one can make you hire a broker to rent an apartment; landlords must disclose every fee you must pay before you sign; and tenants can sue in civil court over violations. You can still hire your own broker, and you pay that broker. Source: NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection's broker-fee FAQ (August 12, 2025).

There is no fixed figure: broker fees were never set by law. Under the FARE Act you don't pay the landlord's broker at all. If you hire your own broker, you pay whatever you agree to in writing, so negotiate it before they start.

The FARE Act applies citywide, so in every neighborhood a listing posted by the landlord or the landlord's agent can't charge you a broker fee. DwellCheck does not track no-fee listing counts by neighborhood; use the neighborhood pages below for building records, transit, and livability data.

No — the fee arrangement doesn't change the underwriting. Many NYC landlords ask for annual income of 40 times the monthly rent and a guarantor earning more if you fall short. Larger management companies tend to apply their criteria strictly because they process applications at scale.

If the broker works for the landlord, you shouldn't be charged a fee at all under the FARE Act. If you hired your own broker, the fee is set by your agreement with them, so negotiate it in writing before they start searching.

"Owner-direct" (or "by owner") means the landlord lists without any broker. A listing through the landlord's broker is also no-fee to you under the FARE Act — the landlord pays that broker. The difference is service: a broker handles showings and paperwork, an owner does it directly. Owner-direct listings are more common in smaller, older buildings.

In high-demand seasons popular apartments draw many applicants whatever the fee arrangement. To be ready: have your guarantor lined up, your tax returns and pay stubs ready, and time to answer landlord follow-ups quickly.