New York Consolidated Laws, Real Property Law - RPP § 446-a. Definitions

1. “Person” means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, firm, or association.

2. “Apartment information vendor” means any person who engages in the business of claiming, demanding, charging, receiving, collecting, or contracting for the collection of, a fee from a customer for furnishing information concerning the location and availability of real property, including apartment housing, which may be leased, rented, shared or sublet as a private dwelling, abode, or place of residence.  The definition of apartment information vendor shall include an apartment sharing agent which means any person who, for a fee, arranges, conducts, coordinates, handles or causes meetings between a customer and the current owner or occupant of legally occupied real property, including apartment housing, who wishes to share that housing with one or more individuals as a private dwelling, abode or place of residence, but it shall not apply to any person who for another and for a fee, commission or other valuable consideration, supervises, organizes, arranges, coordinates, handles or is otherwise in charge of or responsible for the relocation of commercial or residential tenants from buildings or structures that are to be demolished, rehabilitated, remodeled or otherwise structurally altered.

3. “Advance fee” means any fee claimed, demanded, charged, received or collected from a customer before the customer has leased or rented a private dwelling, abode or place of residence through the information provided by an apartment information vendor.