Law - Joseph Rand

Landlord-Tenant Law, Law

An Informal Legal Opinion: Why I think that DOS Might be Wrong About the New “Broker Fee” Rule Barring Tenants from Paying Landlord Agents

The entire New York real estate industry got thrown a curveball this week when the Department of State released on Wednesday an advisory providing guidance about the Statewide Housing Security & Tenant Protection Act of 2019 and the Housing Stability & Tenant Protection Act of 2019, legislation signed last summer dramatically revised landlord-tenant law. […]
Client Advisory, Landlord-Tenant Law, Law

Client Advisory: Tenants Can No Longer Be Required to Pay a Landlord’s Brokerage Fee

Dear Clients, Please be advised that on February 5, 2020, the Department of State announced that landlords can no longer require tenants to pay brokerage fees to a broker/agent representing the landlord. You can find the Department’s statement here. Please note that this only applies to a broker/agent representing the landlord. If the broker/agent represents […]
Agent Advisory, Landlord-Tenant Law, Law

Agent Advisory: Understanding the New Guidance from the Department of State about Agent Obligations Under the New Landlord-Tenant Laws

On February 5th, the Department of State put out an advisory providing guidance on agent responsibilities under the Housing Stability and Tenant Protection Act of 2019. That legislation was a far-reaching and progressive set of changes to the landlord-tenant relationship, providing significant new protections to tenants, including the following: Landlords cannot refuse to rent to […]