A rental agent for Jersey City, Hoboken and Hudson County apartments
Your agent when you rent, not just when you buy
I am a REALTOR® with eXp Realty (New Jersey license #2186044) who works with renters as their agent across Hudson County, in English, Romanian and Spanish. For an apartment in Jersey City, Hoboken, Weehawken, Bayonne or anywhere in the county, I confirm the listings, price the move-in, prepare the application and read the lease with you.
I rented in Journal Square, in Newport and in a three-family house before I ever sold a home, so I know the listing that vanished, the fee nobody mentioned and the application that lost to someone with a folder ready. I work in English, Romanian and Spanish. Vorbim românește. Se habla español.
What a rental agent actually does for you
Every renter gets the same portal alerts, and half of them are stale or bait. A portal cannot confirm that the apartment still exists, tell you the real move-in number, or read the lease. Here is the work, in the order it happens.
- I confirm the listing is real and available. Every apartment is verified with the owner or listing agent before it goes on your list.
- You know the full move-in cost before you tour. First month, deposit, any broker fee and moving costs on one page for every apartment, so nothing lands on you at lease signing.
- One application folder, ready on day one. ID, pay stubs or an offer letter, a credit report, references, a guarantor if you need one. In Hudson County the apartment goes to the first complete application.
- The lease, read together. Term, renewal notice, utilities, pets, early termination, exactly what the deposit covers. I flag the lines people regret twelve months later.
- Negotiating what can move. Move-in date, a free month on a longer term, a fee, small repairs. More is negotiable than most renters ask for.
The six-step plan, the Renter's Guide and the intake form are on the Rent page.
Who pays the broker fee in New Jersey?
It depends on the listing. On many apartments, especially in larger buildings, the landlord pays the broker and the listing is advertised as "no fee". On others the tenant is asked to pay a fee, commonly up to one month's rent. Both are legal; never pay a fee you were not told about in writing.
As of September 2026 there is no statewide law in New Jersey that decides who pays. Two bills have tried to move the cost to whoever hires the broker, as New York City did in 2025: Senate bill S4496 (May 2025) did not become law, and Assembly bill A4326 was introduced on February 19, 2026 and referred to the Assembly Housing Committee. Until something passes, the listing sets the rule.
Sources: A4326 (status) and S4496, New Jersey Legislature, checked September 29, 2026.
No-fee apartments: what that means
A no-fee listing means you are not paying a broker's commission; the landlord is covering it. It does not mean there are no move-in costs: you still budget the first month's rent and the security deposit. Some no-fee apartments are real, usually from larger buildings or owners who pay the broker themselves. Some are bait. A deposit demanded before you have seen the unit is a reason to walk away.
I verify every no-fee listing with the owner or the listing agent before I take you to see it, and I wrote the renter's checklist for a no-fee NJ lease with the documents to bring and the questions to ask.
The numbers renters must know in New Jersey
Security deposit: at most one and one-half times one month's rent. That is the cap under the New Jersey Security Deposit Law (N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.2). Anything you prepay beyond it, including "last month's rent", counts as deposit, and a pet deposit is inside the same cap.
Returned within 30 days. After your tenancy ends the landlord has 30 days to return the deposit plus interest, less itemized deductions for damage beyond normal wear and tear (N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.1).
One exception. An owner-occupied two- or three-family house is not automatically covered; a tenant there can opt in with a written request to the landlord.
Rent control. Jersey City and Hoboken both have rent-control ordinances, with the allowed yearly increase set by each city and exemptions for many newer buildings. Coverage changes building by building, so ask me for the current cap for the building before you sign.
Source: Truth in Renting, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (PDF), "Security Deposits" section. Checked September 29, 2026. General information, not legal advice.
Neighborhood by neighborhood
Pick the neighborhood first; the apartment comes second. Each has a "day in the neighborhood" page, walked stop by stop.
Downtown Jersey City
Brownstone blocks, two historic parks and three PATH stations, under ten minutes to the World Trade Center.
Journal Square
Built around one of the busiest transit hubs in New Jersey, thirteen minutes to the World Trade Center, and changing faster than anywhere else in Hudson County.
The Heights
Two hundred feet above Downtown on the Palisades cliffs, with the best skyline views in Hudson County and noticeably more space for the money.
Hoboken
World-class dining, a vibrant waterfront and exceptional transit access in one square mile, with some of the strongest real-estate values in New Jersey.
Weehawken
A small township on the Palisades directly across from Midtown, with the Port Imperial ferry and light rail on the water below: the shortest commute to Midtown on this side of the river, and priced like it.
Bayonne
A peninsula at the bottom of the county with water on three sides, four light-rail stops and more houses with driveways than anywhere else this close to the harbor.
The other towns are on the neighborhood map; my own rentals are in this post.
For landlords
I fill your unit with the right tenant, not the first one: pricing from the rentals that actually closed on your block, listing photos, showings, screening against written criteria applied to everyone (your fair-housing protection too), a New Jersey lease with the required disclosures, and a move-in report. All under eXp Realty.
Property management after the lease is signed is launching; ask me where it stands. Start with the Landlord's Guide on the Guides page, then tell me about the unit in the form; more landlord answers are in the FAQ.
Tell me what you need
Budget, bedrooms, neighborhoods and move date; I come back within a day with what that actually rents for, verified. Read more about me, see client reviews, or book a private consultation.
Call (201) 584-6156 · Text mebogdan@bogdannicolaerus.com
eXp Realty, 50 Harrison St, Suite 205, Hoboken, NJ 07030
Renting with an agent: frequently asked questions
Can a realtor help me rent an apartment in Jersey City?
Yes. As a REALTOR® I represent renters the way I represent buyers: I confirm listings are real and available, tell you the full move-in cost before we tour, get your application folder ready, read the lease with you and negotiate what can move. Start with the renter form.
Do I need a realtor to rent in NJ?
No. Plenty of people rent directly from a landlord or a leasing office. You want one when you are moving from another city or country, have no time to chase listings, or want someone to read the lease before you sign it. I also work in Romanian and Spanish, which matters when the lease is in English and you are not.
Who pays the realtor fee for a rental in New Jersey?
It depends on the listing. Some landlords and buildings pay the broker, so the apartment is "no fee" to you; on others the tenant pays, commonly up to one month's rent. As of September 2026 New Jersey has no statewide law that assigns the fee: S4496 (May 2025) did not become law and A4326, introduced February 19, 2026, is in committee. I tell you in writing what each listing charges before you apply.
How much is a security deposit in New Jersey?
At most one and one-half times one month's rent (N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.2), returned with interest, less itemized deductions, within 30 days after your tenancy ends (N.J.S.A. 46:8-21.1). Anything you prepay beyond that, including "last month's rent", counts toward the cap. Source: the state's Truth in Renting guide (NJ Department of Community Affairs).
How fast can I get an apartment in Hoboken?
Honestly: the first complete application usually wins, and a fairly priced apartment near the PATH or the ferry can go in days, sometimes hours. With your folder ready (ID, pay stubs or offer letter, credit report, references, a guarantor if needed) you can tour a short list in one afternoon, apply the same day and usually have an answer within days. Without the folder, the apartment goes to someone who had one.
Do you help with no-fee apartments?
Yes. No-fee means the landlord pays the broker, not that there are no move-in costs. Some no-fee listings are real, some are bait; I verify each one with the owner or listing agent before we go, and my no-fee lease checklist covers the questions to ask.