New Law, New Landscape: How the FARE Act Reshapes NYC Rental Costs

The FARE Act (Fairness in Apartment Rental Expenses) went into effect June 11, 2025 — 180 days after it became law. According to StreetEasy, following approval by the New York City Council, New York City tenants will now have full visibility into the rental cost of their apartments. Renters are no longer required to pay upfront costs, including broker fees. Before the FARE Act, fees could amount to anywhere between 10% to 15% of a tenant’s monthly rent. The FARE Act is viewed as a huge win for tenants, and fees will now have to be displayed in lease agreements, listing ads, and lease agreements.

The Impact: The FARE Act will have direct implications on relocations to New York City. Fee transparency provides mobility professionals and relocating employees with more accurate housing budgets and move-in cost projections. Moving forward, it may also be possible to distribute fees that were once allocated to brokers to other areas, easing the financial burden for transferees. The hope is that as the market softens, more rental properties will become available for both existing residents and newcomers to the Big Apple.

Full Circle: Supporting the Career Journeys of Returning Employees

In today’s job market, how you leave a job matters just as much as how you start one. Recent data shared by CNBC indicates an increase in the number of employees returning to their former jobs. This may be, in part, due to a sluggish job market and employers who are cautious in their hiring practices. One industry experiencing a significant increase in boomerang employees is the Information Technology (IT) sector. In March 2025, telecommunications, broadcasting, publishing, computer programming, and software development roles experienced a 35% increase in returning employees. This was up from 31% in 2024 and 27% in 2018. Research shows that employers feel more comfortable rehiring a familiar face because less training is required, and work can ramp up more quickly. Flexible employment considerations are paramount in the current job market, as employers and employees alike are discovering that it can sometimes be beneficial to revisit past opportunities.

The Impact: Supporting employees who return to their previous employers requires just as much care and consideration as hiring a new employee. By discovering what drives employees to return to their previous jobs, HR professionals can better tailor packages if applicable, identify new role opportunities, and expedite onboarding. This trend presents an opportunity for teams to not only support a client’s relocation but also their overall career journey.

Amazon’s AI Pivot Sparks Mass Relocation

Bloomberg reports that Amazon has given its employees an opportunity to relocate to its main hub or find new employment. With 1.56 million full-time and part-time employees across the U.S. and within its global business, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy aims to bring the bulk of those workers to Seattle, WA, Arlington, VA, and Washington, DC. Driving this mass relocation is an increased emphasis on AI, which the company has implemented to automate shipping tasks. Amazon plans to invest over $105 billion in the development of AI capabilities this year. Some employees fear that this heavy investment in AI will also negatively impact their job security.

The Impact: Amazon’s initiative to centralize its employees follows a trend of return-to-office initiatives and centralization across industries over the last two years. While these moves may be necessary for the business, values-based employers look for ways to support relocating employees and their families through what can be a difficult transition. Group move services, like those offered by CapRelo, offer companies a scalable approach to return-to-office mandates, ensuring clear communication and consistency along the way. Destination and settling-in services will be paramount for families and spouses to help lessen the impact of these moves. Transitioning employees will require time to review financial packages, cost of living, and competitive housing market data to understand how their budgets and daily expenses may change. CapRelo has vast experience facilitating group move initiatives, offering personalized care and support to our clients’ employees. Whether they are transitioning from a small town to a major metropolitan area, personalized support reduces the stress of the move and lessens the likelihood of attrition.

Antitrust Complaints Hit Real Estate: NAR and Zillow Face Lawsuits

The housing market may be experiencing a cool-down, but a couple of lawsuits are heating up the real estate industry. Two recent antitrust lawsuits are currently underway, targeting the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Zillow. The National Association of Realtors is also facing a lawsuit regarding their Clear Cooperation Policy, as reported by Reuters, which states a home must be listed on an NRA-affiliated MLS within 24 hours of sale. PLS.com alleges in their suit that NAR’s Clear Cooperation Policy eliminates pocket listings, a practice widespread in major housing markets such as Miami, FL, San Fransico, CA, and Washington, DC.

According to MarketWatch, if a house is not listed on Zillow within 24 hours of being put up for sale, it will not qualify for listing on their site. This spurred a lawsuit by Compass, a leading real estate agency, which alleges that Zillow’s rule limits agencies to using Zillow exclusively for listing homes, thereby limiting their ability to share listings on their own websites.  The lawsuit alleges that Zillow is monopolizing the real estate market and breaking the law in the process.

The Impact: These lawsuits challenge policies that limit pocket listings and mandate rapid MLS posting, potentially shifting how homes are marketed, discovered, and assessed. For relocating employees, this may affect access to available properties, listing visibility, and overall home search timelines. If these suits are successful, mobility leaders should prepare for potential fragmentation in housing searches, requiring flexible vendor partnerships, updated policies, and clear guidance to transferees navigating evolving real estate norms. Ensure your relocating employees have the right resources, including house hunting allowances, temporary housing options, and access to a robust network of agents and brokers who will expand their search beyond traditional sources.

Global Mobility Radar

CapRelo’s Mobility Radar provides valuable insights into trends worth monitoring. This month, we have detected important global mobility updates in China, Spain, and the U.S.

• For the past four years, home sales in China have continued to suffer, with a 23% year-over-year decline. Considering the impact of tariffs, recovery is projected to be slow. With a shrinking population, demand for housing is expected to remain at 75%, below its peak in 2017. Chinese authorities are soliciting demand-side measures to help spur redevelopment and ease mortgage terms.
• The Spanish government has ordered the removal of approximately 66,000 Airbnb listings in an effort to tackle Spain’s housing crisis. These listings were identified as non-compliant with regulations because they either lacked valid licenses or had incorrect numbers.
• The recent H.R.1 Act is slated to restrict access to health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace for lawful permanent residents, individuals on valid work or student visas,  refugees, and survivors of domestic violence. This would deny many lawfully present immigrants’ access to federal subsidies. Only green card holders, some Cubans, Haitians, and specific Pacific Island communities would retain access and eligibility. Individuals receiving employer-sponsored health insurance are unaffected.