DOJ Sues Real Estate Software Firm Over Alleged Anticompetitive Algorithm

The lawsuit alleges the firm’s pricing algorithm allows landlords to coordinate in raising rent.

Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks at the Department of Justice in Washington on Aug. 11, 2023. On Aug. 23, 2024, Garland announced an antitrust lawsuit against the company RealPage. Stephanie Scarbrough/AP Photo

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has brought an antitrust lawsuit against real estate software company RealPage, alleging in an Aug. 23 complaint that its rental price algorithm allows landlords to illegally coordinate rent increases.

“We allege that RealPage’s pricing algorithm enables landlords to share confidential, competitively sensitive information and align their rents,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a press release.