The U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division has filed a proposed settlement to address antitrust claims against RealPage Inc., focusing on algorithmic coordination and information sharing in the rental housing market.

This settlement aims to restore competition for millions of American renters by ensuring that competing companies make independent pricing decisions. Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater emphasized the importance of vigorous antitrust enforcement, especially with the rise of algorithmic and AI tools.

RealPage, which provides revenue management software for the multifamily rental housing industry, has been accused of using nonpublic, competitively sensitive information from landlords to set rental prices. The software also included features that limited price decreases and aligned pricing among competitors.

If the court approves the proposed consent judgment, RealPage will be required to cease using competitors' sensitive information for pricing, limit model training to historic data, and remove features that restrict price decreases. Additionally, RealPage must stop conducting market surveys for sensitive information and accept a court-appointed monitor to ensure compliance.

The proposed settlement will be published in the Federal Register, allowing for public comments before the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina makes a final judgment.