REALTORS® Help Clarify Rental Price-Fixing Issue

There has been growing concern over the use of software services that provide algorithmic analysis of public and non-public data to assist landlords with setting rental prices and other leasing terms (algorithmic rent-setting tools). Lawsuits and legislative materials allege these services reduce competition and artificially inflate rental prices. In response, Seattle and King County have pursued legislation to prohibit rent-setting tools that enable collusion.

REALTORS® worked with the NWMLS and multifamily housing advocates to make important improvements to legislation prohibiting rent-fixing in King County. We wanted to ensure that data platforms like the NWMLS and routine industry practices like comparative price analysis was prohibited or constrained by unintended consequence.

We worked closely with the King County Councilmember Mosqueda to add clarifying language to the legislation to establish a bright line between prohibited collusion and the real estate industry’s traditional and wholly appropriate practices.