Ukrainians who search for apartments for rent on their own are increasingly encountering an unpleasant surprise: having found accommodation through an ad and agreed with the owner, they learn at the move-in stage about an additional realtor commission — ranging from 50% to 100% of the monthly rent. According to real estate expert Max Marsh, who published an analysis of the scheme on Threads, this practice is unfair. "A person simply called the number, and they are already billed for a service they did not order," he notes. In his assessment, forcing someone to pay for something they did not request is not a service sale but a manipulation via artificial scarcity of direct contacts.
Who is actually the agent's client
Marsh emphasizes that the key question is who exactly hired the realtor. If the apartment owner signed a contract with an agent to rent out the property, the client is the owner. In this case, the realtor handles marketing, takes calls, screens potential tenants, organizes viewings, and accompanies the transaction — and the tenant has no grounds to pay the agent a separate commission. A completely different situation arises when the tenant themselves orders a housing search service from a realtor: then the agent works for them and receives payment for the search conducted. However, the expert considers it essential that in such a contract, the realtor loses any right to charge a commission from the owners of the apartments shown to the tenant, eliminating "double billing" and hidden conflicts of interest.
For what the agent truly has the right to receive payment
According to Marsh's concept, the problem is not the commission itself, but whether the person receives a real service. If the agent works for the owner, their work may involve full-service rental "turnkey": analysis of actual deals in the building and neighborhood, determination of the optimal price, preparing the property for viewings, professional photos and videos, advertising on popular platforms, closed realtor channels, and partner networks. A separate block is tenant selection: verifying solvency, employment, reasons for moving, and prior rental history, ensuring the owner spends time only on adequate candidates. For the tenant, personal housing selection should also be broader than simple viewings: filtering out fake and outdated ads, checking property documents, verifying the presence of arrests, legal encumbrances, utility debts, and hidden co-owners, as well as negotiating with the owner on price and terms — down to fixing the price for 12 months and stipulating deposit return rules.
Contradictory data
In public discussions, figures and the logic of commission calculation diverge. In Marsh's analysis, cited by Styler, the rates mentioned are 50% and in some cases 100% of the monthly rent, presented to the tenant "retroactively," which the expert qualifies as manipulation. At the same time, other market participants, such as realtor Aprelev, explain the mechanics differently: a commission in the range of 60–100% when renting housing is usually split between two agents — one working for the owner and one working for the tenant. Thus, one side sees the scheme as an unfair "rip-off for nothing," while the other sees it as standard reward distribution between the two sides of the deal. The difference in figures (50% vs. 60–100%) and interpretation (manipulation vs. splitting between two agents) remains open and depends on who exactly signed the contract with the realtor.
How to negotiate the price without a realtor
Separately, Marsh previously shared advice for tenants who want to reduce rental costs without an agent's help. According to him, bargaining is possible and necessary, but not blindly, but understanding when the owner is most ready to concede. A good moment for negotiation is an apartment that has been empty for a long time, as the owner loses money every day. A stable job, readiness to live in the apartment for a long time, and a normal rental history work in the tenant's favor. For paying 3–6 months in advance, one can try to ask for a discount of 10–15%. At the same time, the expert emphasizes that a price discount achieved in negotiations often fully covers the cost of the agent's services within the first 2–3 months of renting.
