§ 446-a. Definitions. As used in this article, unless the context
otherwise requires: 1. "Person" means any natural person, corporation,
limited liability company, partnership, firm, or association.

2. "Apartment information vendor" means any person who engages in the
business of claiming, demanding, charging, receiving, collecting, or
contracting for the collection of, a fee from a customer for furnishing
information concerning the location and availability of real property,
including apartment housing, which may be leased, rented, shared or
sublet as a private dwelling, abode, or place of residence. The
definition of apartment information vendor shall include an apartment
sharing agent which means any person who, for a fee, arranges, conducts,
coordinates, handles or causes meetings between a customer and the
current owner or occupant of legally occupied real property, including
apartment housing, who wishes to share that housing with one or more
individuals as a private dwelling, abode or place of residence, but it
shall not apply to any person who for another and for a fee, commission
or other valuable consideration, supervises, organizes, arranges,
coordinates, handles or is otherwise in charge of or responsible for the
relocation of commercial or residential tenants from buildings or
structures that are to be demolished, rehabilitated, remodeled or
otherwise structurally altered.

3. "Advance fee" means any fee claimed, demanded, charged, received or
collected from a customer before the customer has leased or rented a
private dwelling, abode or place of residence through the information
provided by an apartment information vendor.