Broker battle to keep apartment fees nixed by fed judge

The city’s new law banning broker fees will go into effect tomorrow, after a federal judge shot down a real estate lobby lawsuit to block the ban.

Judge Ronnie Abrams ruled Tuesday that a federal lawsuit challenging the Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses Act was mostly rooted in policy disagreements — not constitutional questions. 3

“Plaintiffs’ discontentment with the Act, however, stems not from its effects on their constitutional rights, but from a fundamental disagreement with its underlying policy,” Abrams ruled.

Her decision tossed all but one claim from the lawsuit, and denied a request to pause the law as the case plays out.

The FARE Act — passed in City Council with a veto-proof majority of 42-8 on Nov. 13 — prohibits agents representing property owners from char