Bypassing the rental broker

Being a New York City rental broker has always been a tough gig. But the job is getting even harder.

It’s now been exactly one year since StreetEasy began charging a daily $3 fee to post a rental listing on its site — a move that hit brokers in the pocketbook at a time when margins were already thin.

The fee — which does not seem to have dissuaded brokers from using the Zillow-owned site — is just one of several stressors that New York City rental brokers are facing.