New York City landlords will be required to pay costly broker fees for tenants under a plan approved by the City Council that real estate groups argue will drive up rents and make it harder to find housing in the city.

Mandatory broker fees, an unusual feature of New York City apartment hunting long reviled by renters, will be banned under legislation that passed Wednesday after overcoming fierce backlash from the city's real estate lobby.

The City Council overwhelmingly passed a measure to shift the burden of broker fees to landlords. Here’s what that means for renters.