NDP Urges Competition Bureau to Investigate Potential Rent-Fixing by Corporate Landlords

Canadian landlords may be using AI software linked to a U.S. antitrust lawsuit to coordinate rental price hikes.

The NDP has requested the Competition Bureau to probe whether Canadian corporate landlords are using the AI software YieldStar.
YieldStar, developed by RealPage Inc., is at the center of a U.S. antitrust lawsuit for allegedly enabling landlords to coordinate rent increases.
The U.S. Justice Department, along with several state attorneys general, filed the lawsuit against RealPage Inc. last month.
NDP MPs Alexandre Boulerice and Brian Masse emphasized the need for transparency on how algorithmic pricing tools might be affecting Canadian rent prices.
Recent data shows that average asking rents in Canada increased by 3.3% in August compared to the previous year, reaching $2,187.