Legislation passed this week in New York City leaves Boston as the last major city where tenants can be required to pay hefty fees for real estate brokers hired by their landlords.

Apartment hunters in New York City got good news on Wednesday when the City Council there passed a bill that would largely compel landlords, not tenants, to cover broker fees, that expensive charge tacked on to the cost of signing an apartment lease.

As New York City ends the practice of landlords charging tenants for the broker fee, Boston remains one of the few cities left in the country where that's part of the deal.