The apartments you see on this site are listings where we represent the landlord — no fee to you. If none of them fit your needs, or if you want a professional doing the searching, vetting, and negotiating on YOUR behalf, that’s tenant representation. You hire us, we work for you.
When you hire Mena Realty as your tenant broker, we represent your interests — not the landlord’s. We learn what you want (neighborhood, budget, must-haves, deal-breakers), then search the full NYC rental market on your behalf, including listings we’d never see otherwise. We schedule viewings, negotiate terms, vet the landlord and the building, and walk you through the lease. You get one experienced broker working for you across the whole search instead of dealing with a different listing agent at every apartment.
Because you’re hiring us — not the landlord — you pay our fee. Our standard tenant representation fee is one month’s rent, payable on lease signing. We are transparent about this upfront. Before we start working together, you sign two documents: the NY State Agency Disclosure Form (required by law for any real estate transaction in New York), and a written Tenant Representation Agreement that spells out exactly what services we’ll perform and what triggers the fee. You don’t owe us anything if we don’t successfully place you in a lease.
Two documents, both required by NY State law and good practice:
Both are signed at the start of our engagement, before we begin showing properties on your behalf.
Why pay a fee when there are no-fee listings on this site?
The listings on our Properties page are buildings where the landlord has hired us — so the landlord pays. If those match what you want, you can contact us about a specific listing and pay nothing. Tenant representation is a different service: we search the WHOLE market on your behalf, including listings we’d otherwise never see, and we work for you in the negotiation.
How long does a tenant representation engagement last?
Typically 30 to 90 days, until we place you in a lease. The exact term is in the agreement.
What if you can’t find me anything?
If we don’t successfully place you in a lease, you owe no fee. The agreement specifies that the fee is triggered by lease signing.
Can I look at your listings AND have you represent me as a tenant broker?
Those are two different situations. If you inquire about a specific listing on our Properties page, we’re the landlord’s agent for that unit — you pay nothing and we facilitate the showing. If you want broader representation, sign the Tenant Representation Agreement, and we’ll search the wider market for you. You can do one, the other, or both. We disclose our role on every transaction.