Maryland’s Attorney General is suing RealPage and top landlords for allegedly colluding to inflate rent prices across the state
Washington: So, here’s the scoop. Maryland’s Attorney General, Anthony G. Brown, is taking action against some big landlords. He claims they’ve been working together to jack up rent prices for a ton of residents.
On Wednesday, Brown announced a lawsuit against RealPage, Inc. and eight major landlords in the state. The lawsuit says these landlords shared info to let RealPage set their rent prices. This led to inflated rents, costing renters millions.
If this sounds a bit déjà vu, it’s because WUSA9 reported on RealPage last year. Plus, DC filed a similar lawsuit against 14 landlords recently. The Justice Department is also looking to take action against more landlords nationwide.
Brown stated, “RealPage and the named landlords worked together to raise the cost of their apartments, making it hard for Maryland renters to put a roof over their heads.” He’s determined to hold these landlords accountable.
The lawsuit names six landlords, including Morgan Properties and Bozzuto Management. They allegedly used RealPage’s pricing algorithm for over 100,000 apartments in Maryland, pushing rents above what’s competitive.
According to the lawsuit, this collusion has worsened the affordable housing crisis in the state. RealPage enforced the inflated prices and even encouraged other landlords to join in.
The goal of the lawsuit? To stop these anticompetitive practices, appoint a monitor for RealPage, and get refunds for Maryland residents who were unfairly charged higher rents.
For those interested, you can check out the full lawsuit for more details.
