New York is one of two cities that requires renters to pay for these services; the other is Boston. Typically, such broker fees range from 10% to 15% of a tenant’s annual rent; in a city where the average monthly rent is currently $3,898 per month, renters often must pay several thousand dollars just to move.

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 broker fee, long a bane of New York City renters, just got voted out. The New York City Council passed a bill Wednesday requiring landlords to pay fees for brokers they hire to list and show apartments.

A bill to have NYC landlords pay for broker fees, instead of tenants, is up for a vote before the New York City Council.

Renters in New York City are getting some relief after the City Council passed the FARE act, banning heft upfront broker fees in most cases. The new legislation shifts the responsibility of broker fees to landlords unless renters hire a broker themselves.

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.