NYCrentals500

Traditional New York City rental brokers charge either one month’s rent or 15% of your first year’s rent — a fee that scales with your apartment’s price, not with the actual work involved in finding it. Whether you’re renting a $2,500 studio or a $5,000 two-bedroom, the broker’s job looks nearly identical: pull listings that fit your budget, schedule showings, help with your application, and coordinate with the landlord. The work doesn’t get harder as the rent goes up, but the fee does. Here’s the math. On a $2,500/month apartment, a traditional fee runs $2,500 to $4,500. On a $3,500/month apartment, that’s $3,500 to $6,300. At $5,000/month, it climbs to $5,000 to $9,000 — nearly a fifth of your entire first year’s rent just to unlock the apartment. We charge $500 flat, no matter which of those apartments you rent.