Is what this agent is doing allowed?

I have been looking for rental apartments on StreetEasy for a few weeks now, and I found one marketed as NO FEE that was interesting to me. I submitted a request via StreetEasy for an in-person tour. An agent from a major real estate group responded and requested me to sign a "Commission Agreement" stating that the company was going to be my agent, entitled to a 15% commission not only on a... [more]

I have been looking for rental apartments on StreetEasy for a few weeks now, and I found one marketed as NO FEE that was interesting to me. I submitted a request via StreetEasy for an in-person tour. An agent from a major real estate group responded and requested me to sign a "Commission Agreement" stating that the company was going to be my agent, entitled to a 15% commission not only on a specific unit but also on any unit I may rent in a building they showed me. Just to be clear, this agreement is in addition to the usual residential disclosures and now common COVID 19 forms. I called her to say that I was only interested in looking at the apartment she posted on behalf of the landlord, and I would not sign a "Commission Agreement" because she was not my agent. She responded very abruptly and told me that she would not show me that unit unless I signed the Commission Agreement. Worth noting that I viewed other apartments in the same area and no other broker asked me for something like this. Considering her very harsh reaction to my questions, it looks sketchy but I would like to hear some thoughts from you all, at the same time the agency is a well known one, so I still have a doubt that it may be allowed. Is this common practice and perfectly legal? Something borderline to go around the recent laws regarding landlord fees paid by the tenants? Or something completely against the law? TL;DR: An agent wants me to sign a commission agreement granting her a 15% commission before allowing me to view a StreetEasy apartment that I found by myself. Is this OK? [less]