The U.S. Division of Justice (DOJ) sued RealPage on Friday after a two-year investigation that included an unannounced FBI raid of a nationwide company landlord. The DOJ alleged that Richardson, Texas-based RealPage, which sells actual property software program, decreased competitors amongst landlords and artificially inflated rents for hundreds of thousands of tenants throughout the nation.
“We allege that RealPage’s pricing algorithm permits landlords to share confidential, competitively delicate data and align their rents,” legal professional normal Merrick B. Garland said in a press launch.
The DOJ filed the 115-page criticism within the U.S. District Court docket for the Center District of North Carolina on Friday. The antitrust lawsuit particulars how RealPage signed contracts with landlords who would in any other case be opponents and picked up delicate, detailed details about lease costs, lease phrases, facilities and occupancy charges.
RealPage then allegedly fed the knowledge to its AI-driven algorithm, which gave landlords suggestions on easy methods to worth leases and set phrases for rental agreements. The DOJ additionally accused the corporate of guaranteeing landlords accepted its suggestions by sending out pricing advisors to satisfy with them for “accountability conversations” and including an “auto settle for” function so landlords would mechanically approve worth will increase.
In 2020, RealPage stated its software program collected information on 16 million rental models of the 22 million investment-grade condo models within the U.S., indicating its broad attain.
U.S. Lawyer Normal Merrick Garland (C), U.S. Deputy Lawyer Normal Lisa Monaco (L) and U.S. Performing Affiliate Lawyer Normal Benjamin Mizer (R). Picture Credit score: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Photos
“As People wrestle to afford housing, RealPage is making it simpler for landlords to coordinate to extend rents,” assistant legal professional normal Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Division’s Antitrust Division said, including that “competitors – not RealPage – ought to decide what People pay to lease their houses.”
The DOJ filed the lawsuit with the attorneys normal of North Carolina, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington. State attorneys normal for Arizona and Washington, D.C., have already taken authorized motion towards RealPage this yr.
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In a press release, RealPage stated the DOJ’s claims had been “devoid of benefit” and “will do nothing to make housing extra reasonably priced.” The lawsuit “seeks to scapegoat pro-competitive expertise,” the corporate claimed.
The non-partisan nonprofit American Financial Liberties Undertaking (AELP) took a unique stance. In an emailed assertion to Entrepreneur, AELP senior authorized counsel Lee Hepner pointed to RealPage’s personal advertising, highlighted by the DOJ, which said that the corporate took “each attainable alternative” to boost costs.
“Working folks have sufficient issues affording day by day requirements with out RealPage bragging that it seizes ‘each attainable alternative’ to extend rents,” Hepner said.
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