The 8 Best Websites for Finding a No Fee Rental Apartment in NYC

Whether you're new to New York or  just haven't looked for a no fee apartment in awhile, one of the rudest shocks is how many rentals require you to pay a broker's fee, typically 12 to 15% of a year's rent.

Handing over several thousand dollars or more to a broker can make sense if it's your first time at the rodeo and you need help navigating the rental market (read this first ), you don't have time to DIY, can't find what you want on  your own , and/or you're planning to stay put for a couple of years or longer.

But if you've got the time  and perseverance to do the legwork yourself, there are plenty of options. To get started, here's BrickUnderground's annual update (originally posted on 5/27/15) of the best free places to kick off your no-fee apartment search online. The websites listed below get their no-fee listings directly from landlords, management companies,brokers whose fee is being paid by the landlord, and sometimes even renters themselves.  Some list both fee- and no-fee rentals but let you filter your search to display no-fee listings only.

You'll likely need to wade through some duplicates, but to truly get the most bang for your buck, searching on several different sites is an essential part of the process. Here are the ones you should hit: