First time renting in NYC, coming from Ohio. Found a studio in Washington Heights I like. The broker just told me I need to pay a good faith deposit to get the landlord to stop showing it, and then he'll send the lease. He said it's not the broker fee — it gets applied to first month/security. Is this normal? It's about half a month's rent. My lease is up soon and I'm panicking. I haven't seen the lease yet, only a generic listing. Should I pay it just to get the actual lease? Feels rushed but maybe I'm just not used to the market here.

Normal-ish, but you should not pay before getting the terms in writing. A good faith deposit can be legitimate, but it should be accompanied by a signed, conditional agreement that states: the amount, exactly how it gets credited, the deadline for applying, and under what conditions it's refunded.

In practice, it's often refundable if the application is rejected or if the lease materially differs from what you were told. If you're approved and then walk away just because you changed your mind, the broker may try to keep it — so read that part closely.

Always pay by a traceable method to the brokerage, never to an individual agent's personal app. Check the agent's license on the Department of State online lookup, and ask to see the broker's agency agreement if you want to be thorough. Also, a legitimate broker should be willing to send you the landlord's lease form or at least a lease terms sheet before money changes hands. If the answer is "pay first, lease later," I'd be very cautious. I've rented three times in Manhattan and Queens, and each time the good faith deposit was conditional and the lease packet came within a day or two.

Pay attention to what they call it, because the word matters! An application fee in New York is capped at $20 per applicant — if this is a deposit, it has to be refundable/credited and not a disguised fee. Have you looked up the address on HCR to see if it's rent stabilized? If it is, there are stricter limits and they can't just charge a random extra deposit.

I would tell the broker: "Send the terms sheet or sample lease first, including the rider, and a conditional deposit agreement with a refund date." If he refuses, that is a huge red flag. I've seen people pay by Zelle and then the broker disappears. Have you tried asking the management company directly? Sometimes the listing agent is not the only way.

Also check HPD for open violations before you commit. And ask what happens if the landlord doesn't countersign the lease within 48 hours. Too many agents use "good faith" as pressure. Don't let "first come first served" make you skip the paper trail!

Thanks, this is really helpful. I asked for the lease packet and the broker said he can send a "sample lease" but not the actual lease until there's a deposit. Is a sample lease enough to review? The deposit is half a month's rent. He did give me his license number, but I haven't looked it up yet. I'm going to ask for a conditional agreement in writing.

Do I contact his brokerage directly or just deal with him? I also saw a no-fee place in Inwood but it seemed bigger but older. Should I just go with no-fee? Ugh, this is a lot.

I had this exact thing in Brooklyn. I paid a small good faith deposit and it was credited to my first month, but I got a receipt by email and the broker was from a legit firm. I think the sample lease is okay only if they confirm the actual lease will use the same base terms, not just "similar."

Make sure you cross out anything saying nonrefundable if you haven't received the actual lease. Also ask for a walkthrough of the exact unit and a current HPD report. I got lucky, but looking back I should have asked more.

Did they tell you when you'd get the full lease after paying? Mine came later that day. If they won't commit in writing to a 24-hour turnaround, I'd hold off.