On November 13, 2024, the New York City Council passed the FARE Act. The law went into effect on June 11, 2025.

What is the FARE Act?

The Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses (FARE) Act is a new law that prohibits brokers who represent landlords from charging broker fees to tenants. This includes brokers who publish listings with the landlord’s permission. Landlords or their agents must disclose other fees that the tenant must pay in their listings and rental agreements.

The FARE Act makes broker fees the responsibility of the party who hires the broker. It gives renters the choice of hiring a broker to represent them.

How will the changes impact NYC renters?

As of June 11, 2025, a broker can no longer require you to pay them a fee if they’ve listed an apartment on behalf of a landlord or property manager. You can still hire your own broker to represent you and help you find a rental, in which case you’d pay them a broker fee for the services you hired them to do. But the FARE Act ensures NYC renters only pay a broker fee when they explicitly hire the broker to represent them.

All fees that renters are expected to pay must now be clearly disclosed in advance. Listings are required to include this information in the listing description, covering both one-time and recurring charges. Be sure to review that section of the listing to understand any costs involved.