U.S. lawmakers are taking fresh aim at the use of algorithm-driven pricing tools in the rental housing market, unveiling a new federal proposal intended to block software-enabled coordination among landlords. According to a statement from Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont, the End Rent Fixing Act seeks to outlaw practices that allow property owners to share sensitive pricing information and collectively raise rents, a trend he said has worsened affordability challenges nationwide.
The bill—introduced by Welch, Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, and Rep. Becca Balint—targets companies that offer digital platforms designed to guide landlords toward coordinated rent increases. Per a statement, supporters say these platforms function as de facto collusion tools, especially in already strained rental markets.
Lawmakers noted that the measure builds on momentum at the state and local levels. Since its initial introduction in early 2024 under a different title, versions of the proposal have been adopted by New York, Seattle, Philadelphia, and additional municipalities seeking to curb algorithmic rent setting.
Welch emphasized the stakes in Vermont, pointing to widespread housing insecurity and rising homelessness. “Vermonters are amongst the hardest hit by the housing crisis raging across the country. We have the fourth-highest rate of homelessness in the nation. In the midst of this crisis and at a time when families are struggling to put food on the table—thanks to Trump’s reckless economic policies—housing providers are using anticompetitive pricing algorithms to raise rents. It’s outrageous,” he said. “The End Rent Fixing Act would crack down on these pricing algorithms and prevent future monopolies on the housing market to protect renters in Vermont and nationwide.”
Wyden echoed the concern, arguing that algorithmic coordination is akin to traditional forms of collusion. “Setting prices with an algorithm is no different from doing it over cigars and whiskey in a private club,” he said, adding that the legislation would eliminate any ambiguity over the legality of such practices. “Housing costs are crushing American families. Companies shouldn’t be using AI to make the housing crisis worse.”
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Balint described the crisis as a symptom of unchecked corporate practices. “Families in Vermont and across the country are being crushed by the housing affordability crisis — a result of corporate greed,” she said. “Landlords are colluding to illegally push rent higher and higher. The End Rent Fixing Act will prevent this type of price fixing and protect people’s wallets. Everyone deserves affordable housing. We cannot allow greedy corporations to get away with this.”
A broad coalition of Democratic senators has joined the effort, including Amy Klobuchar, Richard Blumenthal, Chris Van Hollen, Tina Smith, Andy Kim, Jeanne Shaheen, John Fetterman, Bernie Sanders, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Cory Booker.
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Citing widespread rent burdens, Sanders pointed to RealPage and similar companies as examples of market manipulation. “Today in America — at a time when millions of our people spend 50% or 60% of their limited incomes on housing, when nearly 800,000 Americans are homeless, and when there is not a state, city or town in this country where a full-time minimum wage worker can afford the rent — greedy corporations like RealPage are exploiting our housing crisis for profit by illegally colluding to jack up rents,” he said. “That is outrageous and it has got to end. This legislation is an important step toward finally taking on that corporate greed and protecting the American people.”
Klobuchar highlighted the antitrust implications, saying, “When landlords delegate pricing decisions to algorithms, renters lose out on the benefits of competition and are faced with higher rates, while some homes are priced so high they sit vacant.” Smith, Van Hollen, Blumenthal, and Booker each underscored similar concerns, arguing that algorithmic tools distort markets and worsen affordability.
According to reporting cited in the lawmakers’ announcement, companies such as RealPage and Yardi present their tools as standard property-management software but also aggregate real-time pricing data and recommend coordinated rent increases. The Council of Economic Advisors estimates that such practices have cost renters at least $3.8 billion, with cities like Atlanta, Tampa, and Dallas seeing monthly rent spikes of more than $100 attributable to coordinated pricing.
Per a statement accompanying the bill, the End Rent Fixing Act of 2025 would make it illegal for rental property owners to use services that facilitate collective price coordination or the sharing of supply information, treat such arrangements as per se antitrust violations, ban coordinated data-sharing among landlords, and allow renters to void arbitration agreements that would otherwise block legal action.
Source: Welch
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