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Find a voucher broker in Manhattan.

A broker in Manhattan cannot refuse your voucher, and on a CityFHEPS or FHEPS move HRA pays the broker up to 15% of a year’s rent, so you owe no broker fee. The licensed brokers below say they serve Manhattan; under the list: who pays in each program, what a broker may charge and how to check a license.

By the VoucherMatch Editorial Team · Sources reviewed October 21, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026 · Independent guide, not a housing agency

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Six-story brick and tan apartment buildings filling a valley in Washington Heights, seen from West 187th Street on an overcast day
Apartment blocks over Bennett Avenue and Broadway, seen from West 187th Street in Washington Heights. Upper Manhattan ZIP codes are where asking rents sit closest to the CityFHEPS maximum. Photo: Petri Krohn (cropped), source, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Who pays a Manhattan broker on a voucher deal

On most voucher moves in Manhattan the tenant pays the broker nothing. HRA pays the broker on CityFHEPS and FHEPS apartments, and the city’s FARE Act stops a landlord’s agent from charging any tenant. What changes from program to program is whether anyone pays the broker at all, which affects how many brokers take voucher clients.

Who pays the broker on a New York City voucher move, by program (as published October 21, 2026)
ProgramWho pays the brokerWhat you pay the brokerCondition
CityFHEPS, FHEPS (HRA)HRA, up to 15% of a year’s rent$0 broker fee; HRA says brokers should not askBroker must be licensed and not the owner or an affiliate
Section 8, general list (NYCHA)NYCHA only as a disability accommodation$0 to the landlord’s agent (FARE Act)Issuance from the general list paused August 1, 2025
Emergency Housing Voucher (NYCHA)NYCHA, up to 15% of a year’s rent$0EHV funding ends in late 2026
Housing Choice mobility (HPD)HPD, 15% of a year’s contract rent$0Mobility program only; guide undated
No voucher, any NYC rentalWhoever hired the broker$0 to the landlord’s agentYou may hire and pay your own broker

Sources: HRA landlord incentives; DSS-8j, CityFHEPS FAQ for landlords and brokers (January 28, 2026); HRA-121 broker fee request; NYCHA HCV Administrative Plan, May 2026; NYCHA applicant page; HPD Housing Choice guide for owners and brokers; DCWP FARE Act FAQ. Any broker fee is separate from the $20 application-fee cap below.

The HRA fee may shrink. HRA has said it plans to lower the CityFHEPS broker fee, which news reports put at one month’s rent. As of October 21, 2026, its landlord page and its January 2026 broker FAQ still list up to 15% of annual rent. A state audit published in January 2026 found HRA paid $22.6 million in broker fees to 1,288 brokers between January 2022 and February 2025 (Comptroller audit 2023-N-8).

Worked example: a $2,997 CityFHEPS two-bedroom

A hypothetical household of three with a CityFHEPS shopping letter rents a two-bedroom at the $2,997 maximum, with all utilities included.

  1. Most HRA can pay the broker: $2,997 × 12 months × 15% = $5,395, by check, after the broker files form HRA-121.
  2. Broker fee the tenant pays: $0. HRA’s form says the tenant is not responsible for anything above the amount it issues.
  3. Application or credit-check fee: $20 at most, and nothing if you bring a credit report from the past 30 days.
  4. Security deposit: HRA issues a security voucher, and the landlord may not ask for more security in cash.
  5. If HRA’s planned cut takes effect at one month’s rent, the most it would pay is $2,997; the tenant would still owe $0.

Illustration only: the household and rent are hypothetical. Rent maximum: 2026 CityFHEPS and NYCHA payment standards (the same citywide schedule). Fee and deposit rules: HRA-121, DSS-8j, DSS-7r; fee cap: Real Property Law §238-a. The apartment must also pass HRA’s rent and inspection checks.

Where the CityFHEPS maximum reaches in Manhattan

Only 2 of the 11 Manhattan ZIP codes below had a typical asking rent at or under the $2,997 two-bedroom maximum in September 2026, and both are in Inwood and northern Washington Heights. A broker who knows which buildings there take vouchers can save weeks; south of 125th Street, voucher holders usually need a unit priced well under the area’s typical rent.

Typical asking rent by Manhattan ZIP code against the CityFHEPS two-bedroom maximum

The CityFHEPS two-bedroom maximum is $2,997. Typical asking rents run from $2,610 in 10034 (Inwood) to $4,797 in 10002 (Lower East Side).

  • CityFHEPS 2-bedroom maximum, 2026
  • Zillow typical asking rent, September 2026
  • CityFHEPS 2-bedroom maximum, 2026$2,997
  • 10034 Inwood$2,610
  • 10040 Washington Heights (north)$2,955
  • 10032 Washington Heights$3,011
  • 10033 Washington Heights$3,228
  • 10031 Hamilton Heights$3,262
  • 10035 East Harlem$3,297
  • 10029 East Harlem$3,426
  • 10026 Central Harlem$3,506
  • 10027 Harlem, Morningside$3,807
  • 10025 Upper West Side$4,705
  • 10002 Lower East Side$4,797
Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), all homes and multifamily, smoothed, September 2026. ZORI covers every apartment size, so a two-bedroom often costs more than the figure shown. The maximum includes all utilities; HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a New York metro two-bedroom is $2,971 (HUD).
The same figures as a table
ZIPAreaTypical asking rentAgainst the 2BR maximum
10034Inwood$2,610$387 under
10040Washington Heights (north)$2,955$42 under
10032Washington Heights$3,011$14 over
10033Washington Heights$3,228$231 over
10031Hamilton Heights$3,262$265 over
10035East Harlem$3,297$300 over
10029East Harlem$3,426$429 over
10026Central Harlem$3,506$509 over
10027Harlem, Morningside$3,807$810 over
10025Upper West Side$4,705$1,708 over
10002Lower East Side$4,797$1,800 over

Browse CityFHEPS apartments in Manhattan or Section 8 apartments in Manhattan that landlords have listed on VoucherMatch.

What a broker can and cannot charge you

  • No fee from the landlord’s side. Under the FARE Act (Local Law 119 of 2024, in effect June 11, 2025), a landlord’s agent, including a listing agent, cannot charge you. An agent who posts a listing is presumed to work for the landlord.
  • No forced broker. No one may make renting an apartment conditional on hiring a broker, including a broker who works for both sides.
  • Your own broker is your choice. You may hire and pay a broker who represents you. Get the fee and the services in writing before you agree.
  • $20 cap on application fees. Background and credit checks cost the actual cost or $20, whichever is less, and are waived if you bring a check from the past 30 days.
  • No viewing fees or holding deposits. The city’s guidance for brokers says they should not take any fee, deposit or rent from a voucher holder until the agency running the subsidy approves the household.
  • Written fee disclosure. Every fee you must pay has to be listed clearly in the ad and itemized in writing before you sign the lease.
FARE Act civil penalties per violation (6 RCNY §6-89, in effect July 10, 2025)
ViolationFirstSecondThird or later
Charging a tenant, or requiring a broker$750$1,800$2,000
Missing fee disclosure$375$900$1,000

Higher amounts apply when the business fails to answer the summons. Sources: DCWP FARE Act FAQ (updated June 2, 2026); DCWP penalty rule; Real Property Law §238-a; NYC Commission on Human Rights broker FAQ. By July 2026 the city had issued more than 79 FARE Act summonses, charged $36,125 in penalties and returned $15,475 to tenants (Rental Ripoff Hearing Report, July 2026).

Charged an illegal broker fee? File a complaint with the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (online or 311). Tenants can also sue under the law.

A broker cannot refuse your voucher

New York City’s Human Rights Law names real estate brokers, salespeople and their employees directly: they may not refuse to rent or negotiate with you because you pay with Section 8, CityFHEPS, FHEPS, HASA or another lawful source of income, tell you an available unit is taken, or advertise a limitation such as “no programs.” New York State law sets the same rule for brokers and salespeople statewide.

  • A broker may not accept only some programs, even if one program pays the broker less or needs more paperwork.
  • Income minimums and guarantor demands cannot screen out voucher holders, and credit cannot be considered when the subsidy covers the whole rent.
  • A broker answers for anyone working under their license.

Recent cases against brokers

  • Bohemia Realty Group, April 2026: $540,000 in a settlement with the Fair Housing Justice Center over voucher and race testing, with the landlords Coltown Properties and Beach Lane Management; the defendants denied the allegations (FHJC).
  • Nooklyn, 2023: $10,000 in civil penalties, $5,000 in damages to a HASA client and a broker incentive program (NYC Commission on Human Rights).
  • Compass, 2022: after Manhattan agents refused Section 8 applicants, the company agreed to waive broker fees for its next 25 voucher clients and train its agents (New York Attorney General).

NYC Commission on Human Rights, source of income; broker FAQ; NYS Executive Law §296(5)(c). Report discrimination at 212-416-0197, 311 or online. Willful violations can bring civil penalties of up to $250,000.

General information, not legal advice. If a broker refuses your voucher, write down the date, the broker’s name and the listing.

Check a broker before you hire one

  1. Look up the person in the New York Department of State licensee search. Confirm the license is current and tied to the brokerage they named. VoucherMatch checks a license before a profile appears, but licenses lapse.
  2. Expect two state forms at your first real conversation about an apartment: the agency disclosure form (DOS-1735), which says whom the broker represents, and the housing and anti-discrimination disclosure form (DOS-2156).
  3. Share your shopping letter, which is valid for 120 days. HRA says your household share letter is not meant for landlords or brokers.
  4. Ask: which programs have you placed in the last year? Do you work in Upper Manhattan buildings that take my voucher? Will HRA or my program pay you, and will you put that in writing?
  5. Never pay cash, a gift card or an app transfer to see or hold an apartment.

Shopping letter and household share letter: DSS-7r, CityFHEPS FAQ (January 23, 2026). Disclosure timing: 19 NYCRR 175.28. Read what can make you lose a Section 8 voucher before you sign a lease, or compare HASA apartments in Manhattan.

Manhattan voucher brokers: common questions

Do I have to pay a broker fee if I have CityFHEPS?

No. HRA pays the broker on a CityFHEPS or FHEPS move, up to 15% of a year’s rent, and its tenant guide says brokers should not ask you for any additional broker fee. The only charge a broker may pass to you is an application or credit-check fee of no more than $20.

How much does HRA pay brokers on a CityFHEPS apartment?

Up to 15% of the annual rent, paid by check, as long as the broker is licensed and is not the owner or the owner’s affiliate. On a $2,997 two-bedroom that is up to $5,395. HRA has said it plans to lower the fee; its published materials still list up to 15% as of October 21, 2026.

Who pays the broker fee in NYC now that the FARE Act is in effect?

Whoever hires the broker. Since June 11, 2025, a broker or listing agent working for the landlord cannot charge the tenant. You can still hire your own broker and pay them, but no one may require you to hire a broker to rent a particular apartment.

Can a Manhattan broker refuse my voucher or say “no programs”?

No. New York City’s Human Rights Law makes it illegal for a real estate broker or salesperson to refuse to rent or negotiate because of a lawful source of income, including Section 8, CityFHEPS, FHEPS and HASA, or to advertise “no programs.” Report it to the NYC Commission on Human Rights at 212-416-0197 or through 311.

Does NYCHA pay broker fees for Section 8?

Not for an ordinary Section 8 move. NYCHA’s plan, effective May 2026, says it pays broker fees only when a household member needs it as a reasonable accommodation for a disability. Emergency Housing Voucher holders can get a broker fee of up to 15% of annual rent while that program lasts.

Can a broker charge me to see an apartment or hold it?

No. The city’s guidance for brokers says they cannot charge viewing fees, large application fees or holding deposits, and should not take any fee, deposit or rent until the agency running your subsidy approves you. State law caps background and credit-check fees at $20 or the actual cost, whichever is less.

How do I check a broker’s license in New York?

Search the broker’s name in the New York Department of State licensee search and confirm the license is current and tied to the brokerage they named. A licensed broker must also give you the state’s agency disclosure form and its housing and anti-discrimination disclosure form when you first discuss an apartment.

What do I show a broker: my shopping letter or my household share letter?

Show the shopping letter, which states the rent you can look for and is valid for 120 days. HRA’s guide says the household share letter, which shows your own contribution, is not meant for landlords or brokers.

Find local representation

All NYC brokers →

Explore each borough’s directory. A broker may serve more than one area.

Your first conversation

A few good questions go a long way.

Get clear on the search, the service and any fee before deciding who to work with.

  1. 01

    Do you work with my voucher?

    Share your program, preferred neighborhoods, apartment size and move-in timeline. Ask whether the broker is taking new clients.

  2. 02

    What help will you provide?

    Discuss apartment searches, viewings and application paperwork. Agree on how you will communicate and what each person needs to do.

  3. 03

    Who pays the fee?

    Ask for the fee arrangement in writing. Confirm any program payment and required approvals with your voucher agency before signing.

Check the official sourcesNYS real estate license search ↗NYC guidance on broker fees ↗

Keep your search moving.

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Also browse FHEPS apartments and HASA apartments in Manhattan.

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VoucherMatch checks licenses before profiles are published. Broker-provided experience and service areas are not independently verified. A “Trusted broker” badge reflects a separate review of on-platform conduct and placement history; it does not change alphabetical order. Listing a profile does not guarantee service, availability or a housing placement.