Cushman & Wakefield Inc. is among six major landlords facing a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) over alleged anticompetitive practices in the housing rental market. This lawsuit builds on an existing case initiated in August against RealPage, a property management software company accused of enabling landlords to collude on pricing through its software. The DOJ claims that these landlords, including Greystar, Blackstone’s LivCor, Camden Property Trust, Pinnacle Property Management Services, and Willow Bridge Property Co., unlawfully exchanged private rental pricing information and strategies through RealPage. Although RealPage has denied these allegations and is seeking to dismiss the lawsuit, the DOJ’s amended complaint highlights coordination that may have negatively affected renters in various states, including North Carolina and others. While some firms, like Greystar and Cushman’s Pinnacle, have argued against the claims, Cortland Management agreed to settle, stating that it developed proprietary software that does not use external data. The lawsuit reflects broader concerns about fair competition and its impact on rental markets in multiple states, furthering scrutiny on algorithmic collusion in the industry.
