Imagine a system that lets big landlords in your city work together to raise rents, using detailed, otherwise-private information about what their competitors are charging.
Such a system is already underway, according to a series of lawsuits filed by tenants and prosecutors across the country.
The plaintiffs argue that real estate software from a company called RealPage is being used by apartment owners to increase rents.
In a vast majority of cases, landlords adopt the suggested prices, passing the costs on to tenants, the plaintiffs assert.
RealPage, owned by the private equity firm Thoma Bravo, advertises its software to landlords as a tool that can help them outperform the market by 3 to 7 percent.
Persons:
Thoma
Organizations:
Thoma Bravo
Locations:
Texas