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I had to read through some of the actual complaint to see what the deal was. The allegation is that RealPage did not just provide pricing data, but went to gre

I had to read through some of the actual complaint to see what the deal was. The allegation is that RealPage did not just provide pricing data, but went to great lengths, including hiring secret shoppers, to enforce that housing companies not deviate from their price. This would appear, if true, to be a clear violation of antitrust law. This of course comes down to whatever is demonstrated in court to be true.

lsmeducation 3y ago
These companies don't care. A lot of these tenant management companies do legal grey area things and landlords pay for it (even though it's begging to be tackled). A good example is they keep tenant blacklists based on scraped court records [1]. Landlords are not supposed to be using stuff like this. I wouldn't have imagined they are price fixing too. To remain in compliance with the law, OAG recommends landlords and property owners refrain from requesting a potential tenant’s court records and rental histories altogether and cease relationships with tenant screening bureaus who continue to provide court records. Any New Yorker who believes that they have been denied an apartment because of their rental history should submit a tenant blacklisting complaint online with OAG. In its investigation of Clipper Equity, OAG determined the company had improperly obtained housing court records for 25 potential tenants and then denied housing to seven of those same applicants. The OAG found that Clipper thus violated the law. Clipper also violated city and state Human Rights laws by requiring potential tenants to disclose their marital status. As part of the agreement, Clipper Equity will take the necessary steps to comply with the laws it broke and has committed to ending its discriminatory screening policies. [1] https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2022/attorney-general-james-cracks-down-tenant-blacklisting https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2022/attorney-general-james-...
- ensignavenger 3y ago
  Maybe in New York, but in most other states, it is perfectly legal.
- FireBeyond 3y ago
  > A lot of these tenant management companies do legal grey area things and landlords pay for it (even though it's begging to be tackled). Back when I was renting (and this I acknowledge isn't even a grey area thing, just shady), I even called out a small local PM company... their "main" website, listing properties was all about their "ethics" and "fairness" and "transparency". But when you went into the "Owners" section you got then told to visit a different site, which talked about how the company would "work with you" to get "the maximum value for your property, strategically adjusting rental pricing upwards" while "shielding the landlord".

lsmeducation 3y ago

These companies don't care. A lot of these tenant management companies do legal grey area things and landlords pay for it (even though it's begging to be tackled). A good example is they keep tenant blacklists based on scraped court records [1]. Landlords are not supposed to be using stuff like this. I wouldn't have imagined they are price fixing too. To remain in compliance with the law, OAG recommends landlords and property owners refrain from requesting a potential tenant’s court records and rental histories altogether and cease relationships with tenant screening bureaus who continue to provide court records. Any New Yorker who believes that they have been denied an apartment because of their rental history should submit a tenant blacklisting complaint online with OAG. In its investigation of Clipper Equity, OAG determined the company had improperly obtained housing court records for 25 potential tenants and then denied housing to seven of those same applicants. The OAG found that Clipper thus violated the law. Clipper also violated city and state Human Rights laws by requiring potential tenants to disclose their marital status. As part of the agreement, Clipper Equity will take the necessary steps to comply with the laws it broke and has committed to ending its discriminatory screening policies. [1] https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2022/attorney-general-james-cracks-down-tenant-blacklisting https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2022/attorney-general-james-...

ensignavenger 3y ago
Maybe in New York, but in most other states, it is perfectly legal.
FireBeyond 3y ago
> A lot of these tenant management companies do legal grey area things and landlords pay for it (even though it's begging to be tackled). Back when I was renting (and this I acknowledge isn't even a grey area thing, just shady), I even called out a small local PM company... their "main" website, listing properties was all about their "ethics" and "fairness" and "transparency". But when you went into the "Owners" section you got then told to visit a different site, which talked about how the company would "work with you" to get "the maximum value for your property, strategically adjusting rental pricing upwards" while "shielding the landlord".