Attorney General Kris Mayes has reached out to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, urging the continuation of a federal antitrust lawsuit against RealPage, Inc. and several corporate landlords accused of price-fixing. The lawsuit alleges that these entities used an algorithmic scheme to unlawfully inflate rental prices.
"Millions of renters—including many in Arizona’s two largest cities—have been harmed by this unlawful conduct," wrote Attorney General Mayes. "This scheme stifled competition, created a de facto rental monopoly, and drove up housing costs for working families. That’s why my office sued nine corporate landlords and RealPage for price-fixing in Arizona. But this is a national crisis, which is why the DOJ, and 10 other states also took legal action. The federal lawsuit must continue."
According to reports, rents have increased significantly since 2016: by 76% in Phoenix and by 30% in Tucson over recent years. Nationally, rents have risen by 19% since 2019. An analysis indicates that 3.1 million market-rate rental units managed by companies involved in the lawsuits are affected.
"I intend to press forward with the case I filed in Arizona against Real Page, but I also urge the Trump administration, through the DOJ, to see its case through," urged Attorney General Mayes. "RealPage and its co-conspirators engaged in unfair and anticompetitive practices that forced families to pay artificially high rents at a time when many are struggling to get by. Addressing this issue is essential to making housing more affordable—not just in Arizona, but across the country."
The Arizona suit was filed independently from the DOJ's actions, allowing state authorities potentially to hold RealPage and associated landlords accountable regardless of how the federal case proceeds.