Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes wants the Trump Department of Justice to continue a federal lawsuit against RealPage Inc. and major corporate landlords.
The lawsuit began in 2024 under the Biden administration and accused the defendants of using an “algorithmic pricing scheme that harms millions of American renters.”
“We allege that RealPage’s pricing algorithm enables landlords to share confidential, competitively sensitive information and align their rents,” said then-U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. “Using software as the sharing mechanism does not immunize this scheme from Sherman Act liability, and the Justice Department will continue to aggressively enforce the antitrust laws and protect the American people from those who violate them.”
In a March 11, 2025 letter to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, Mayes urges Bondi to continue the federal lawsuit. In a related press release, the Democratic attorney general said that millions of renters – including many in Arizona – have been harmed by what Mayes described as unlawful conduct.
“This scheme stifled competition, created a de facto rental monopoly and drove up housing costs for working families,” said Mayes. “That’s why my office sued nine corporate landlords and RealPage for price-fixing in Arizona.”
Mayes went on to say this is a national crisis and pointed to legal action from other states.
“This is about enforcing the law and protecting renters from alleged price-fixing that drives up costs nationwide,” said Richie Taylor, communications director for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, in a statement to The Center Square. “Hardworking Arizonans deserve fair, competitive housing markets, and both federal and state antitrust laws require it.”
Taylor added that Attorney General Mayes is “committed to holding corporations accountable when they engage in unfair and deceptive practices” that harm Arizonans.
“That’s why she brought this case,” Taylor told The Center Square. “She hopes the Trump administration shares that commitment.”
According to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, rents are 76% higher in Phoenix since 2016. For Tucson, it is 30% higher than in recent years. Nationwide, one study covered by The Washington Post found that rents have increased 19% since 2019. A different analysis covered in The Washington Post determined that just over 3 million units nationwide are managed by companies named in the lawsuits.
