The FARE Act, passed by the New York City Council, shifts the responsibility of broker fees from tenants to landlords, aiming to reduce financial burdens on renters.

MOHAMED FARGHALY

mfarghaly@queensledger.com

New York City renters will no longer shoulder the cost of broker fees for agents hired by landlords, following the passage of the Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses (FARE) Act. The City Council approved the legislation on Wednesday in a 42-8 vote, shifting a financial burden that has long frustrated tenants in one of the nation’s most expensive rental markets.

The FARE Act mandates that the party who hires a broker — typically the landlord — must cover the broker’s fee. These fees, which average 12–15% of a year’s rent, often amount to thousands of dollars. For example, a broker fee for a $3,000-a-month apartment can total $5,400. The law also requires landlords and their agents to disclose these fees upfront in rental listings and agreements, a move aimed at increasing transparency.

The legislation will take effect in 180 days, fundamentally altering a rental process that has set New York apart from most other cities, where landlords typically pay broker fees.

Advocates of the FARE Act argue the law will eliminate the longstanding practice of tenants being forced to pay for brokers who solely represent landlords’ interests.

However, critics warn the measure could backfire, leading to higher rents as landlords seek to offset the added cost. While rent-stabilized apartments are protected from such increases, market-rate units could see adjustments, opponents say.

The legislation comes at a time when rents in New York City continue to climb, adding financial strain to renters already grappling with record-high housing costs. In October, the median asking rent in Manhattan reached $4,200, a sharp increase compared to pre-pandemic levels.

The city’s real estate industry, which lobbied heavily against the bill, argues that broker fees reflect the work brokers perform, such as coordinating showings, conducting background checks, and managing communication with landlords.

Still, tenant advocates have long pushed for reforms, especially as virtual tours and online listings reduce the need for traditional broker services. The COVID-19 pandemic further accelerated this shift, leaving many renters questioning the necessity of steep broker fees.

Courtesy Freepik

While advocates praise the move as a step toward affordability, critics warn it may lead to higher rents as landlords adjust to the new costs.

With the FARE Act now signed into law, New York City joins other metropolitan areas in redefining the rental process — though its impact on rents and the broader housing market remains to be seen.

Thomas Chimber, who moved to New York City from Syracuse late last year, is entering the real estate industry at a pivotal moment. After obtaining his real estate license over the summer, Chimber was thrilled to land a position with the Corcoran Group in Manhattan. However, just days into his first week on the job, the announcement of the Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses (FARE) Act sent shockwaves through the real estate world, reshaping a longstanding dynamic in New York City’s rental market.

While some newcomers to the field might feel daunted by such a major shift, Chimber views the change as an opportunity rather than a setback. He believes the FARE Act could have an indirect but significant impact on how prospective buyers and renters approach the housing market. The increased transparency and reduced upfront costs for tenants, he suggests, could encourage more people to explore their options and make decisions more confidently, which would ultimately benefit the industry as a whole.

“I’m just excited to be starting my career in such a dynamic market,” Chimber said, emphasizing that adapting to change is part of what makes New York City real estate both challenging and rewarding. Despite the uncertainties brought about by the new legislation, he remains enthusiastic about the opportunities ahead and is eager to help clients navigate the evolving landscape.

Nick E. Smith, Executive Director of Communities Resist, expressed strong support for the FARE Act following its passage by the New York City Council. Communities Resist, a housing legal services organization led by people of color, focuses on preventing gentrification and displacement in low-income communities.

“For far too long, renters across this city have faced exorbitant broker fees. With rents soaring, these fees are another obstacle to New Yorkers trying to find an affordable place to live. The Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses (FARE) Act is a critical step towards combating our housing crisis and helping New Yorkers find a place they can afford to call home. I applaud Council Member Ossé for introducing this critical piece of legislation. I look forward to seeing the FARE Act become law as soon as possible,” Smith said.

Nova Bajamonti

The Queens County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Committee hosted its fifth annual Friendsgiving, and all the proceeds went towards the Dancing Dreams organization. Dancing Dreams provides free-of-charge dance classes to children of all ages, who have medical and physical challenges, and are interested in the world of dance, but have not had the opportunity to do so previously.

The life-changing organization was inspired by dancer Veronica Siaba, whose mother tirelessly searched for a place for her to take ballet classes like her cousin did, but she was met with constant rejection. Siaba, who has cerebral palsy and is wheelchair-bound, was devastated by consistently being “turned away everywhere.”

Siaba was a patron at Joann Ferrara’s pediatric physical therapy office, and Ferrara once got her festively dressed up in a tiara and a tutu, and the special bonding moment was one to remember for both. “[Ferrara] for the first time said that I actually look like a ballerina,” Siaba said. After Siaba shared her frustration about not being able to find a ballet class, Ferrara took matters into her own hands and created Dancing Dreams.

Dancing Dream’s Founder and Executive Director, Ferrara, recalled that when Siaba told her “nobody wants me,” Ferrara thought, “no four-year-old should ever be saying, ‘no one wants me.’ The word quickly got out about the representative company, and within weeks, classes increased from having five students to having more than 15, which led to the organization moving to a larger space and becoming a non-profit. Now the organization proudly has 125 young dancers within three locations. Additionally, it also has 150 high school students who participate in a leadership program and volunteer weekly.

The organization has been life-changing for Siaba and the other students. “Yeah I’m in crutches. I’m in a wheelchair. Yeah, I use a cane, and I can be a dancer,” Siaba said. “Those things aren’t mutually exclusive anymore. That makes me really happy to see – not only how much we’ve grown, but how much society has changed. [Dancing Dreams is] changing the narrative around disability, just entirely.”

Leah Zelaya, who has been in the company for over 12 years, first joined being “really shy and ashamed of who [she] was.” After seeing all the representation and positivity around her at Dancing Dreams, she “changed her output on life, and [it] encouraged her to continue and to succeed.” “Joann has created a company for kids to have hope, and to just enjoy and push and live their lives to the fullest,” Zelaya said. The company also helped her “build lifelong friends.” “Our bonds are undefeatable and unmatchable from anybody else’s, cause there’s that understanding, and I love that about this organization,” Zelaya said. The activist has gone on to be named the 2023 National Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Bevi Zelaya, who is Leah’s proud mom saw a drastic transformation in her daughter as well. “I saw a young lady grow into a wonderful flower, and for me [as a parent], it was so empowering, and I finally got the tools to continue to push her,” Zelaya said. Not only did Leah find “lifelong friends,” but so did her mother, alongside fellow parents. “We become best friends,” Zelaya said. “Our kids came together. We become a family. We go to each other’s birthday parties. We love each other. We cheer for our kids. We encourage each other, and we’re able to help each other, and pick each other up as parents.”

The empowering fundraiser was organized by Queens County Bar Association’s Junior Board Co-Chair, Sydney A. Spinner, who was “one of the first helpers” at Dancing Dreams. She went on to become a lawyer and when she heard from Ferrara that Dancing Dreams had a flood, she was emotionally moved to create a fundraiser, which successfully brought in $6,500, and Spinner continued the fundraiser annually for the organization. The company left a lasting impact on her, especially being a dancer herself. “I think everyone should be able to dance if they want to,” Spinner said. “These girls are so inspirational, and I definitely get more from them than I’ve given them, but I do my best to give them as much as I can. Joann does everything for free. The kids don’t pay anything. She provides the shoes [and] the costumes, and everyone should be able to dance if that’s their thing. ‘Dance for every child,’ and it really is true, and being a small part of that is so important.”

Queens County Bar Association’s President Zenith T. Taylor explained that the lawyers who are participating are helping create a huge positive change. “Giving back is the most important thing – its service,” Taylor said. “Whether you want to say ‘its moral’ – its the right thing to do and to give back to our communities, especially Queens, where there’s so many marginalized and new immigrants – its important. It gives you a feeling of self-worth, having done something for your community.”

Henry Rubio

Hundreds of people celebrated the 11^th Annual Bishop Ignatius Catanello Scholarship Dinner at Douglaston’s Immaculate Conception Hall on November 23^rd, where Henry Rubio, President of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators, is being honored as Educator of the year. Bishop Catanello was a graduate of Cathedral Prep in Elmhurst and went on to serve as Auxiliary Bishop from 1995 through 2010. He died in 2013. “Iggy” was known as a priest who had a strength in engaging with people on various levels. “When you talked with him, it felt like you were the only person in the world,” said Frank Steele, one of the organizers of the Scholarship Event. “… that’s a skill, but it turns out it was really more about how he saw the world and how every person was a treasure.” So in late November nearly a hundred individuals who knew him well, get together for a dinner and Mass to celebrate Iggy, with proceeds to benefit Cathedral Prep Seminary, where Catanello served as principal in the early 1990s.

Henry Rubio, the educator of the year was honored at the dinner. He began serving as the President of the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators in January 2023, after having served as the union’s Executive Vice President and First Vice President. Prior to that he represented school leaders as the District Chair for Manhattan High Schools and was elected by his colleagues to serve on the CSA Executive Board.

Henry was born, raised, and educated in New York City, and entered the field of education with a background in business and an undergraduate economics degree from Fordham. He later earned a graduate degree from Queens College and administrative certification from the College of Saint Rose. He began his career in 1997 as a Bilingual Social Studies teacher in Queens.  Additionally, he completed studies at Cornell University’s AFL-CIO Union Leadership Institute and served as CSA’s chief negotiator for the union’s most recent agreement with the city.

In 2007, Henry was selected to participate in Columbia University’s Cahn Fellows program, and in 2011 he became a mentor and coach to school leaders across New York City through CSA’s Supervisory Support Program. He is currently also the president of the New York State Federation of School Administrators and a vice president of the American Federation of School Administrators. Henry serves on several committees and boards, working with labor and research organizations such as the NYC Municipal Labor Committee, the NYC Central Labor Council, the Cornell Labor Institute Advisory Board, the Independent Budget Office, and the Research Alliance for NYC Schools.

Molly Sword

Last Saturday, St. John’s University celebrated the 125th anniversary of Catholic Charities of Brooklyn/Queens. The event hosted numerous speakers, including Dr. Sabina Alkire, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, professors from St. John’s University and leaders of Catholic Charities.

The speeches explored the realities of poverty on a local and global scale, assessing how it impacts communities worldwide and in our own neighborhoods. Speakers commemorated the achievements of the past 125 years and looked ahead to the future efforts that are needed to combat poverty. A central theme throughout the speeches was that of respect and the importance of treating those in need as equals not as individuals to be pitied.

The opening discussion focused on poverty from a global perspective, predominately in the developing world. Dr. Sabrina Alkire, an Oxford University professor introduced her developed multidimensional poverty index (MDI). The MDI is a way of measuring poverty by examining quality of life as opposed to solely focusing on financial value. The 12 main indicators, nutrition and years of schooling, that assess poverty at an individual level, if the person is deprived of a third or more, they are described as MPI poor.

The presentations outlined some shocking statistics such as how there are 1.1 billion people in the developing world who are MPI poor, with half of those being children. The discussion highlighted a shift in understanding poverty not solely as a measure of household income but as a broader reflection of living standards, as is observed through the MPI. While in the past poverty has only been measured by income the MPI allows for a deeper look into the realities of living in poverty. For example, how a family may have a reasonable income, but they achieve this by the costs of their children working instead of completing education, living in unsanitary conditions, or lacking access to essential healthcare.

In our own lives, many of us have had to cut back on expenses to save money. For those in the developing world, this is a daily reality. They might sacrifice a stable roof to feed their children or travel an hour to collect clean water to avoid diseases from a local unprotected well. It is these difficult sacrifices that are measured through the MDI, capturing the realities of poverty in all areas of life beyond that of financial income.

So, how does this relate to Brooklyn and Queens? While the insights into global poverty and the MPI were fascinating, it was the afternoon discussion that bridged the gap between poverty on a global scale and a local scale. Tim McManus’ speech observed that it was not only about providing shelter to those in need, as a ‘home is one thing, but a life is another’. Using this principle, Catholic Charities have created community spaces for the elderly to avoid loneliness which is as harmful as ‘smoking fifteen cigarettes a day to the brain’ and organized workshops to help the homeless find jobs and open bank accounts. In the same way, those working for the UN recognize there is more to poverty than observing finances, the people of Brooklyn and Queens understand what is needed to improve one’s quality of life. Recognizing that being poor is more than not having money in the bank.

This theme was continued into a discussion on mental health focusing on the vicious cycle of poverty and mental illness. Explaining that when threatened with poverty one’s mental state deteriorates, meaning they become involved in a cycle of financial worries and subsequent health problems. Whether it was last week or twenty years ago the anxiety of checking a bank statement is one we can all relate to. Now imagine, that worry is a 24/7 reality. This perspective allows us to understand why mental health support is crucial in combating poverty throughout New York.

Another presentation on food pantries revealed the harsh reality that poverty can happen to anyone. Following the Covid-19 pandemic the average number of people using food pantries ‘went from 25 to 350 people’. These were hardworking individuals such as Uber drivers and restaurant workers who found themselves without a stable income and queuing alongside their families and young children for food. It was the community that came together to help one another, and they did this out of mutual respect and support.

Becoming poor does not make a person deserving of your pity from your privileged position but deserving of your support from a foundation of equal humanity. This was reiterated through Cardinal Christophe Pierre’s speech reflecting how we are all the ‘ children of God’ and in this instance ‘equals under God’. He stressed the importance of approaching charitable acts with respect, reminding us not to look upon others as lesser but as complete equals. Understanding that the people we help today may be the people who help us tomorrow.

The day commemorated the work of Catholic Charities over the last 125 years who have provided food, housing, health care and a multitude of support to the community. The predominant theme throughout was to remember how we are all equals under God.

Therefore, any support we provide to those in need both in the global and local sphere should come from a place of respect for others as equals, not pity for someone we perceive as lesser.