In New York, unlike nearly every other part of the country, tenants usually pay the fee even though landlords usually hire the broker. Tenants and advocates rallying outside City Hall ahead of the vote said that’s the problem.

Don’t believe the real estate industry’s arguments against the bill shifting fees to landlords, writes columnist Ross Barkan.

The City Council overwhelmingly passed a measure to shift the burden of broker fees to landlords. Here’s what that means for renters.

The City Council approved a bill on Wednesday that would curb a loathed New York City real estate practice: making renters pay thousands of dollars in broker fees.

The New York City Council passed a bill Wednesday to make renting an apartment a little easier. The bill, known as the FARE Act, requires landlords to pay the fee when they hire a real estate broker to market their properties.

New York City landlords will be required to pay costly broker fees for tenants under a plan approved by the City Council that real estate groups argue will drive up rents and make it harder to find housing in the city.

The New York City Council passed, in a 42-8 vote, a bill that will put an end to forcing tenant-paid brokers fees, as the city looks for strategies to tackle the housing affordability crisis. Now, whoever hires the broker will have to pay their fees.

Mandatory broker fees, an unusual feature of New York City apartment hunting long reviled by renters, will be banned under legislation that passed Wednesday after overcoming fierce backlash from the city’s real estate lobby.

New York City appears to getting rid of broker fees. In Boston, where 65-percent of residents rent, it's still an issue.

During Wednesday’s rally, Ossé credited the Council’s progressive leadership with getting the FARE Act over the finish line. Council member Sandy Nurse, co-chair of the Council’s Progressive Caucus, told the crowd not to listen to “the bullshit that is being said about the progressive movement.”