Payment to a Broker Who Advertised but Did Not Show the Apartment
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Question
I saw an advertisement for brokerage on a building, asked the neighbors, and found out which apartment it was about. Do I need to pay the broker a commission fee?
Answer
There is no need to pay a commission fee.
Source
The law of commission fees is learned from the law of workers, as ruled by the Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat, siman 264, end of סעיף 4: "And similarly, any person who performs an action or favor for another cannot say, 'I did it for free since you did not instruct me,' but must be given his wage." And since here the broker did not perform an action for the buyer, but the buyer understood on his own from the advertisement, he is not considered a worker, and there is no obligation to pay.