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New York Outlaws Algorithmic Rent-Setting by Landlords

The measure classifies multi-landlord use of rent-pricing software as collusion under state antitrust law.

Overview

  • Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the bill on Oct. 16, with the law set to take effect in 60 days.
  • Landlords that use algorithmic tools to set rents will be deemed to be colluding when two or more adopt the software, including when done with reckless disregard.
  • The crackdown follows a 2024 U.S. Department of Justice antitrust lawsuit against RealPage and investigations linking pricing algorithms to rent increases.
  • Officials cite estimates that algorithm-driven price fixing added roughly $3.8 billion to renters’ costs nationwide over the past year.
  • New York’s action tracks a wider trend, with recent restrictions in California and city bans in Jersey City, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Seattle, and it was signed alongside bills on appraisal bias and security-deposit returns.