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4h ago

Five States Join FTC in Suits Targeting Zillow–Redfin $100 Million Rental Listings Deal

Regulators seek to unwind the $100 million syndication, asking the court for structural remedies.

FILE - A Redfin "for sale" sign stands in front of a house on Oct. 28, 2020, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)
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The Federal Trade Commission accused Zillow and Redfin — among the largest rental listing sites in the US — of an antitrust violation from a February 2025 agreement.

Overview

  • Attorneys general from New York, Arizona, Connecticut, Washington and Virginia filed a lawsuit Wednesday in the Eastern District of Virginia mirroring the FTC’s antitrust claims filed Tuesday.
  • The complaints allege Zillow paid Redfin $100 million in February 2025 to become the exclusive provider of multifamily listings on Redfin’s rental sites and to remove Redfin from multifamily advertising.
  • Regulators cite Section 1 of the Sherman Act and Section 7 of the Clayton Act, arguing the arrangement would raise advertising prices, reduce innovation and lessen choices for renters and property managers.
  • Filings say Redfin terminated roughly 450 employees tied to its ILS advertising business and helped Zillow selectively hire some of them, while transferring competitively sensitive information.
  • Zillow and Redfin, now owned by Rocket Companies, dispute the allegations as pro-competitive, as shares of Zillow and Rocket fell following the federal and state actions.