No fee Manhattan rental apartments

One of the most common lures used in New York City real estate advertising is the promise of no-fee NYC rental apartments. No broker's fee New York rental apartment listings sound great, of course, but be careful: it can mean two different things.

1.  No broker's fee rental apartments in NYC through a broker.
 

Real estate brokers charge a fee for their services, which usually consists of finding and showing you apartments, and helping with paperwork. That's how they stay in business. You should expect to pay the equivalent of around two months rent to your broker when you sign the lease of a regular "fee" apartment.

Brokers will also offer "no-fee" Manhattan apartments for rent, but that just means that the building's owner is paying their fee, not you. Of course, the owner is probably adding it into your rent, or offering fewer concessions.

2.  No broker's fee rental apartments in NYC with an owner.
 

To get a truly no-fee New York rental apartment, you have to go straight to the owner. You pay no broker's fee. The owner pays no broker's fee. All of the New York City apartments for rent you see here on Urban Edge fall into this category. Because there is no broker involved at all, you pay no fee at all, hidden or otherwise.