Okay, I need a reality check because I just left a tour near the 46th Street station and I am fuming!! The agent wouldn't even show me the actual apartment—walked me through the floor plan on her phone in the lobby—and then said if I want it taken off the market today, I need to Cash App the first month's rent and the broker fee before she'll send a lease. Before a lease!!! What if the lease has some garbage rider about common-area fees? She said it's standard because they had three other applications, but the Craigslist post said no fee. I've been doing this long enough to know cash before a signed lease is a sea of red flags, but I want to know if this is now normal for 'exclusive' no-fee listings. Have you all seen this? I have the agent's name and a phone number but she wouldn't give a brokerage license number. Something about this stinks!!

I'm new to renting here (moved from Ohio in the fall) and I didn't know the application fee was supposed to be capped. I went to a place near Ridgewood last week and they also asked for a hundred-dollar application fee through Zelle, plus first month to hold. I thought that was just what you had to do to get a place quickly. Ty for posting this, I wasn't sure if it was weird. Did they say if it was refundable?

I thought broker fee was only due at lease signing, not to hold an apartment. The last place I saw in Washington Heights was listed no-fee but then the agent said the landlord pays her only if I sign, so the fee came to one month. She told me 12 percent was for 'open listings,' but that sounded made up. Is Cash App ever okay if there's a receipt? My bank said don't use Zelle for people you don't know.

Let's slow this down. In New York City, application fees are capped at $20 per applicant by state law, and that is not a deposit—it's for background and credit checks. A landlord or agent cannot charge you first month's rent and broker fee before you have a signed lease. Also, 'no fee' normally means the landlord is paying the broker, not you. If an agent is collecting on behalf of the landlord, that should be in writing.

Ask for the brokerage license number and verify it on the NY Department of State's public license search. A licensed real estate salesperson works under a licensed broker; the brokerage name should be on the agency disclosure form you get at first substantive contact. You're entitled to that form before you give personal information.

For first month's rent, a check with a memo delivered after countersignature is typical. For deposit, no cash. Keep every receipt. If the place is rent-stabilized, that also changes how much prepaid rent they can ask for.

Walk away if they won't provide a lease draft.

I asked my broker for a lease draft before paying anything and she said 'we don't do drafts, we only send the lease after the good-faith deposit clears.' I thought that was normal because she used the word good-faith. Is that the same red flag? Also Zadie, is the $20 cap per couple or per person? We are two roommates and she wanted $40 each.

bronx_newbie, that is exactly the kind of line that works on people when they're tired. The 'good-faith deposit' is not a legal term; it's just a way to make you feel committed before you've seen the lease. It reminds me of the thread last week The 8pm takeout trap: how do you talk yourself out of it when you’re exhausted? where people talked about how exhaustion makes you buy the exact thing you were trying to avoid. Same mechanism! Have you tried asking for the written explanation of what the deposit is applied to, or whether the brokerage has a policy in writing? I'd also call 311 and search the brokerage's name in case they've had complaints. Never hand over first month without a countersigned lease!

Okay I just tried to look up the agent's name on the NY DOS license search and I got stuck because she only gave a first name and a 917 number, no last name. The Streeteasy listing has a different agent's name and a brokerage I never heard of. So now I don't know if I was talking to an assistant or what. Should I just call the management company listed on the building sign? And does the $20 cap apply to the broker fee too or only application?

Big_city_beth, the fact you can't match the agent to the listing is very telling. A legitimate listing will show the brokerage and often the licensed person's full name. Even if an assistant calls you, they should send the agency disclosure with a valid company. You can call the management company, but if the building is an exclusive listing, the management may direct you back to the brokerage. That is normal. What is not normal is an agent using a number that can't be matched to a license.

To answer both of you: the $20 application fee cap is per applicant, so $40 for two roommates can be lawful if they are each applying, but the fee must be for actual background/credit checks. It is not a holding fee, a good-faith fee, or prepaid rent. A broker fee is separate, is negotiable in practice, and is usually due at signing. It can be one month or some percentage of annual rent, depending on the deal and market, but not before a lease exists.

If I were in ferryfanatic's shoes, I would send a polite one-line email: 'Please confirm your licensed brokerage name, the agency disclosure form, and that no funds are required before I receive a drafted lease.' If the answer is vague, do not use Cash App. You should not be paying real estate funds through a peer-to-peer app. Use a check and a memo.