No fee rentals explanation?

NO Fee means the renter does not pay. The owner will suck up the fee for you. You probably would not have seen this last few years as much but given the market is relatively soft, more owners are paying the fee and some times they will throw in an extra month of free rent.

I have a $1650 studio I am marketing as "Collect Your Own Fee" -- it means that the owner pays me as listing broker, and if a renter takes the place they don't pay a brokerage fee.

If the renter walks into the place with a broker, then what that broker gets paid is between the renter and that broker. it could be $50, it could be 15% -- whatever their arrangement is.

Many of the apartments that are being marketed as "no fee" are actually CYOFs when I see them in my system.

To make matters even more complicated, sometimes buildings have fees -- so when I market my listing on craigslist, there's a line where I disclose what the building application fees are, but what the renter is really concerned with, at the end of the day, is what fees they'll have to pay.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

So a CYOF means the broker will be able to collect something from the landlord and the renter?

Hofo the way I read Ali's post, it looks like this refers to instances to where there are two brokers in the mix, more like a sale situation. Ali (or another broker) is showing the apartment on behalf of the LL and will collect a fee from her/him. If you make an appointment to view the apartment directly with Ali or attend an open house if she has one, you will not incur any fees unless the building has charges associated with applications, moving etc. If you are worker with a "renters broker" he/she can charge you a fee of whatever amount you have previously agreeded to. The chance for one broker to "double dip" on this arrangement are very limited--I suppose a renters broker could steer you to a listing s/he was being paid for by the LL but the opportunties would be small and it would be quite unethical. Not that unethical brokers, as in any profession, are unheard of but most of the ones I have come into contact with both in SE and real life, seem to practice well within ethical boundaries.