T
he US Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed an amended complaint against RealPage, a property management software company, in its antitrust case. The lawsuit now includes six major rental investment or management companies: Greystar, LivCor, Camden, Cushman, Willow Bridge, and Cortland. These firms operate over 1.3 million units across 43 states and the District of Columbia.

    The DOJ alleges that RealPage's pricing algorithms are anticompetitive and that these companies participated in a scheme to decrease competition among landlords, harming millions of American renters. The agency claims that while Americans struggled to afford housing, these landlords shared sensitive information about rental prices and used algorithms to keep rent high.

    Attorneys general from two additional states, Illinois and Massachusetts, have joined the lawsuit. RealPage had previously announced an investigation into its rental pricing practices had ended, but the DOJ has now expanded its case. The company defends its business practices, stating that it often recommends lowering rent prices when supply and demand indicate such action is needed.

    The amended complaint includes a proposed consent decree with Cortland, which operates 80,000 rental units in 13 states. If approved by the court, Cortland would cooperate with the investigation and stop using third-party software or algorithms to price apartments without supervision.