Summary
Landlords are increasingly using RealPage’s AI-driven rent pricing software, which critics say inflates rents by promoting price alignment among property owners.
Federal prosecutors and attorneys general from eight states have filed an antitrust lawsuit, alleging RealPage suppresses competition, harming renters with artificially high prices.
Cities like San Francisco and San Diego have passed or proposed bans on such software, citing its impact on affordability.
Critics argue the system enriches landlords while exacerbating housing crises, leaving middle-class families struggling to make ends meet in high-cost areas like California.
I live in a corporate-managed apartment complex in Louisiana. Corporate recently made an abrupt switch to ActiveBuilding (from RealPage) for property management, and the market rate went up 25% at every property they own in the area.
The ownership and management didn’t change at all; they simply switched their software. When I heard it was coming, I took screenshots of the property websites for comparison. The 25% increase was literally overnight and market-wide.
I am hopeful but not optimistic about the DOJ case.
