From Jennifer Lai,
Your Guide to Apartment Living / Rental.
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Consider using an apartment broker when looking for an apartment. For a fee, apartment brokers show you apartments that meet your price range in the neighborhoods in which you're interested.

Pros to working with an apartment broker

• Access to more or different apartments. Each apartment broker has an inventory of apartments which they are given permission by the landlord to show. In some cities, brokers control the market, which means that most apartments are available only through brokers. Some landlords do work with multiple brokers, which can drive up the competition, if more than one broker is clamoring to rent out the apartment. This, of course, is more of an issue in areas dominated by apartment brokers.
  
  
• View many apartments quickly. After telling them your price range, desired apartment size, and any other specific requests, they can show you those apartments that fit your specifications much quicker than if you scanned the classifieds and visited each one yourself.
  
  
• Knowledge of the local market. A broker knows the range of rent pricing in her local market, the average square footage, the character of different neighborhoods, and nearby supermarkets or gas stations to the apartment. If you’re moving to a new city, hiring a broker to answer any of your questions may be safer and faster than researching yourself or selecting the first apartment you see.
  
  
• More forthright on an apartment’s flaws. You, not the landlord, pay the broker’s commission for finding you an apartment. Because they get paid a one-time commission, no matter which apartment you choose, a broker is more likely to be honest about an apartment’s flaws than a landlord or company.
  
  
• You pay only if they deliver. Usually, brokers are not paid their fee until you sign a lease. This is beneficial should you find a broker you do not work well with or they are unable to find you a desirable apartment. Be wary, though, if you are asked to pay upfront. Research the background of the broker to see if he is legitimate and trustworthy.
  
  
• Work with multiple brokers. Working with more than one broker gives you access to more apartments, and you may find some whom you work better with than others.

Cons to working with an apartment broker

• You pay only if they deliver. From their point of view, the faster you sign the lease, the sooner they get paid. Be watchful for brokers who will say anything just to get you to sign the lease.
  
  
• Broker fees. Whether exorbitant or affordable, broker fees are additional costs and can be quite expensive. Find out the average rate for your local area and remember to budget this into your starting capital.

Apartment brokers who work for the landlord

Though rare, some brokers receive their commission from the landlord or real estate company. This may arise, if a landlord or company wants to protect itself from undesirable tenants by hiring brokers whom they trust to find them appealing tenants. You gain the benefits of working with a broker, minus the fee, but their first priority is to serve the landlord or company.