3 ms·

Presumably they get a small fee from the landlord when someone signs a lease. Whereas most rental agents are paid by the tenant (although in some cases they wil

Presumably they get a small fee from the landlord when someone signs a lease. Whereas most rental agents are paid by the tenant (although in some cases they will get a bonus from the landlord; in cases where the tenant goes directly to the landlord, that bonus might take the form of a rent concession, such as the first month free).

gotrecruit 11y ago
most rental agents are paid by the tenant? i've hunted for and lived in many apartments, in both US and Canada, not once have I been the one who made any direct payments to the real estate agent for such services rendered. it's almost always the landlord who pays.
- smeyer 11y ago
  I live in Boston, and while I have some familiarity with rental markets in a couple of other spots in the US, I can only really speak about Boston. Here, it's much more common for the tenant to pay the broker fee than the landlord when one is used. There are no-fee apartments, but they're often being shown directly by the landlord without a broker. Occasionally the landlord pays the fee (for example, sometimes a former tenant will agree to pay a full or half fee in exchange for breaking out of the lease or a landlord will pay during the slow season), but it's a minority. Among my friends, it's certainly more common to end up paying a broker fee than to have the landlord pay it (personally I've had it happen to me both ways.)
- colinbartlett 11y ago
  In tight markets like New York City the fee is very often paid by the tenant. It's relatively unique to New York, San Francisco, and a few other very dense places with high occupancy rates. In other markets with more available inventory and less renters, the fee is usually paid by the landlord. I have been on both sides of this equation in different markets and paid both ways and in each case found the service worthwhile.

3 ms·

Presumably they get a small fee from the landlord when someone signs a lease. Whereas most rental agents are paid by the tenant (although in some cases they wil

by eigenvalue 11y ago

gotrecruit 11y ago
most rental agents are paid by the tenant? i've hunted for and lived in many apartments, in both US and Canada, not once have I been the one who made any direct payments to the real estate agent for such services rendered. it's almost always the landlord who pays.
- smeyer 11y ago
  I live in Boston, and while I have some familiarity with rental markets in a couple of other spots in the US, I can only really speak about Boston. Here, it's much more common for the tenant to pay the broker fee than the landlord when one is used. There are no-fee apartments, but they're often being shown directly by the landlord without a broker. Occasionally the landlord pays the fee (for example, sometimes a former tenant will agree to pay a full or half fee in exchange for breaking out of the lease or a landlord will pay during the slow season), but it's a minority. Among my friends, it's certainly more common to end up paying a broker fee than to have the landlord pay it (personally I've had it happen to me both ways.)
- colinbartlett 11y ago
  In tight markets like New York City the fee is very often paid by the tenant. It's relatively unique to New York, San Francisco, and a few other very dense places with high occupancy rates. In other markets with more available inventory and less renters, the fee is usually paid by the landlord. I have been on both sides of this equation in different markets and paid both ways and in each case found the service worthwhile.