This has been the case for the last 7 years or so. In the bay area, apartment managers, who run REI-owned properties, blame the software for yearly rental raise

This has been the case for the last 7 years or so. In the bay area, apartment managers, who run REI-owned properties, blame the software for yearly rental raises, and that they have no say in how much they should charge rent. Mom'n'pop apartments or individual condos managed by third parties are reasonable in terms of negotiation, as they are not bound by any software. Yes, the software used by these properties is another way to engage in cartel-like behavior--price fixing.