A PYMNTS Company

Kentucky AG Sues RealPage for Alleged Rent Price Collusion

By  |  July 3, 2025

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against Texas-based software company RealPage Inc., accusing it of orchestrating a rent price-fixing scheme in coordination with major property management companies. The legal action makes Kentucky the latest jurisdiction to pursue antitrust claims against the firm over its controversial rent-setting algorithm.

    Get the Full Story

    Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required.

    yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, alleges that RealPage’s software enabled landlords to bypass natural market competition by sharing confidential pricing data and coordinating rent increases. According to Bloomberg, the lawsuit claims this practice has artificially inflated rental costs in violation of both federal antitrust law and Kentucky’s Consumer Protection Act.

    “This case is about restoring competition to our housing market and protecting Kentuckians from illegal corporate practices,” said Coleman, who emphasized that nearly 560,000 households in the state are renters. Data cited by his office shows that in 2023, nearly half of those renters spent over 30% of their income on housing.

    Per Bloomberg, the lawsuit contends that since at least 2016, RealPage has gathered nonpublic information—such as lease agreements, renewal rates, and application data—from rival landlords. This data is then processed by RealPage’s algorithm to suggest future rent prices, allowing competing property managers to adjust rates in alignment rather than in competition.

    The complaint states: “RealPage replaces competition with coordination. It does so openly and directly, and renters in Kentucky are left paying the price.”

    Kentucky joins a growing list of plaintiffs targeting RealPage. The U.S. Department of Justice and several other states—including California, North Carolina, Colorado, and Tennessee—have also filed suit, while Washington, D.C., brought similar allegations in 2023. The first wave of private lawsuits began in 2022 and are now consolidated into a multidistrict litigation case in Tennessee.

    In addition to seeking an injunction to halt the alleged practices, Coleman is demanding civil penalties of up to $10,000 for each violation. “Out-of-state corporations are taking advantage of Kentuckians, and they’re circumventing the free market to do it,” Coleman said in a statement, vowing that “these predatory businesses will face serious consequences in Kentucky.”

    Source: Bloomberg