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elijha t1_j5pjo7t wrote

What's the question? You found the relevant law. Throw it back in their face. Tell them to produce this agreement or pound sand. Assuming you're not forgetting that you signed this thing, they won't be able to and they won't have a leg to stand on.

But I'm also curious where you're from that a broker's fee is such a completely alien concept?

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and_dont_blink t1_j5pla05 wrote

>But I'm also curious where you're from that a broker's fee is such a completely alien concept?

I agree with the rest what you're saying, but be aware broker fees are a real rarity elsewhere and aren't as entrenched as they are in the Boston area. You might see them in NYC if you are struggling to find a place, but rarely elsewhere unless you specifically go to a broker agency (and even then they're often hired by the landlords rather than the renter).

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ooolooi t1_j5posqb wrote

Yeah this is right- when I got my first apartment in college with 2 roommates, we got the bog-standard Boston lease with brokers fee/last month up front. We all sent it to our parents to check if it looked reasonable, and our parents (PA, CA, WA) were like "all seems normal except this extra month of rent for no reason???" pretty much exactly like OP said.

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puglord OP t1_j5pk107 wrote

St Louis, MO. Rented a couple places there and never paid or was asked to pay anything more than rent + security deposit.

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TakenOverByBots t1_j5s56zd wrote

How do rental agents make money then? Real question.

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northeasternlurker t1_j5s787u wrote

Property owner pays them

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some1saveusnow t1_j5smvqo wrote

Yes, It’s all supply and demand that prevents the owners from having to pay a dime. In other markets there can be brokers but they are paid by the owners

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puglord OP t1_j5tc1vp wrote

I’ve never encountered a rental agent. Property managers or landlords advertise the rental and people respond to the ad. Lived in a handful of Midwest cities and never had to deal with a middleman when renting.

They do exist, and they’re paid by the landlord.

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[deleted] t1_j5tr9i5 wrote

Some areas wouldn’t even know what a rental agent is. I have agent friends in suburban locations that wouldn’t touch a rental even if it did stray their way.

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