When renting an apartment, one often encounters that rough beast known as the rental agent. What happens when the rental agent doesn't do his homework, leaving the client with a signed lease?but no firm agreement to pay a broker fee? A Curbed reader emails an epic yarn of an East 30th Street rental that leaves him with quite the moral quandary. He seeks your advice. Read on....
A Curbed reader emails:
I was wondering if Curbed or its readers can offer their opinion on my present situation in dealing with a real estate broker.
I had answered a Craigs List listing for a rent stabilized rental studio on E 30th between 3rd & Lex (is that officially Kips Bay or Murray Hill?). The broker was having an open house and invited me to see the apt, he also put signs on phone booths & light poles all around the neighborhood to promote the open house.
After a 2nd open house viewing (an applicant from the 1st open house was rejected by the landlord), I decided to apply for the apt. The broker told me where the landlord