How to Check If Your Apartment Building Uses Algorithmic Rent-Fixing Software

PART 1 / 3 · An evidence check, not a verdict

01 / Establish what you actually know

The title describes a question to investigate, not a finding about your building. There is no reliable consumer shortcut that turns a portal logo, an expensive renewal, or matching rents into proof of illegal price fixing. RealPage denies wrongdoing. DOJ’s civil case concerns alleged coordination involving confidential competitor information.

Begin with your own lease and renewal notice. Record the property’s marketed name, the landlord named in the agreement, the management company, the date, and the lease term. Those entities may differ. A software logo on a payment portal may identify payment services rather than rent recommendations.

Keep a short question log. Write “unverified” when you cannot establish a connection. A useful investigation may end with uncertainty; that is more informative than a confident mistake. Start with one verified fact rather than a conclusion you hope the evidence will support.

• Save the renewal and lease as received, including dates and attachments.
• Record owner, manager, property name, and any publicly identified pricing product separately.
• Distinguish a payment or screening tool from a revenue-management product.
• Write the exact source of each fact and one question it leaves unanswered.

Sources: U.S. Department of Justice: Justice Department Sues RealPage for Algorithmic Pricing Scheme (August 23, 2024) · RealPage: RealPage Reaches Settlement with U.S. Department of Justice (November 24, 2025)

PART 2 / 3

02 / Collect comparisons without inventing a vacancy rate

Save three to five relevant listings on the same date. Include the full address, unit or floor plan, asking rent, fees, term, availability date, and concession conditions. Preserve a screenshot and its page address. An asking price is an offer, not proof of a signed lease or the amount ultimately collected.

Repeat the snapshot later if your deadline permits. Remove duplicate listings of the same apartment. Record changes rather than treating every vanished advertisement as a new lease. Advertised units, dark windows, and inactive amenities do not provide a dependable occupancy denominator.

For cost comparison, subtract only guaranteed credits from required payments over the term, then divide by months. Keep deposits and moving expenses in separate columns. The example below assumes twelve months, no fees, and an unconditional $1,200 credit; actual terms can change the result.

Keep original files intact and create redacted copies for sharing. Remove account numbers, signatures, access codes, and unrelated personal information. Ask neighbors before including their documents or identifying them. Do not enter restricted systems, impersonate another applicant, or circulate a directory of residents.

• Match the location, apartment type, term, and available move-in date.
• Mark each figure as advertised, quoted in writing, or contained in a signed agreement.
• Label listing counts as observations, never as a building vacancy census.

PART 3 / 3

03 / Ask, record, and choose the next step

Send the inquiry through the normal management contact and retain the reply. You are requesting an explanation; this checklist does not establish a general right to inspect proprietary software or competitor data. A refusal is an unresolved question, not evidence that wrongdoing occurred.

Use the response to update your record. “Uses a named pricing product” is different from “shares nonpublic competitor information,” and both are different from a legal conclusion. A strong report separates firsthand observations, documents, and inferences.

If your information raises a concrete competition concern, the DOJ Antitrust Division accepts reports through its official portal. It cannot provide individual legal advice or promise an individual response. For your lease, deadlines, or local protections, use official state or local resources and qualified legal assistance. Do not withhold rent, miss a response date, or assume a complaint changes your obligations.

• Save the response with its date and the sender’s role.
• Record the next action and the actual lease deadline.
• Use educational materials to prepare; obtain advice specific to your location when needed.

Subject: Renewal pricing questions

Hello [name], please confirm whether a revenue-management product informs renewal pricing at [property], its name if you can share it, and who can review my offer. Please also confirm the full mandatory charges, concession conditions, and response deadline. I am requesting clarification and a review, not alleging a violation. Thank you, [name / unit].

Sources: U.S. Department of Justice: Report Antitrust Concerns to the Antitrust Division · USAGov / U.S. General Services Administration: How to File a Complaint Against a Landlord · USAGov / U.S. General Services Administration: Find a Lawyer for Affordable Legal Aid