Great news for those of you looking to rent a no fee apartment - there are more of them available than have been in previous years.  Landlords and management companies always rent their vacancies without brokerage fees.  Now, because of a larger inventory, many real estate brokers are renting apartments without fees.  The owners are compensating brokers for renting their apartments, so there is no direct cost to the renter.  So what's the catch when renting a no fee apartment through a real estate broker?  The landlord is more likely to charge a higher monthly rent and be less negotiable in order to recoup monies that they have paid to the broker for renting their apartment.  
 
You will always get a better value renting an apartment directly from a landlord or from management.  But, should you decide to use the services of a real estate broker, you'll likely be able to rent an apartment without paying an up front brokerage fee.
 
Happy renting!