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Seattle councilmember to draft ordinance banning price-fixing by rental-algorithm platforms
Summary
Councilmember Sara Strauss announced she has asked staff to draft legislation to prohibit landlords and companies from using AI-driven platforms to fix rents after expressing concern about algorithmic effects on competition and rents in Seattle.
Councilmember Sara Strauss told the City Council on May 5 that she has asked city staff to draft legislation and request legal analysis that would prohibit landlords and companies from using artificial-intelligence platforms to set rents in ways that could produce anti-competitive outcomes.
"This can undermine competition and result in de facto agreements between landlords," Strauss said, describing how platforms that ingest confidential landlord data can suggest higher rents. She said the Department of Justice and Washington state attorney general have active lawsuits on related practices but that local legislation could act more quickly.
Why it matters: Strauss framed the proposal as a local response to a problem she said is particularly important in Seattle, where residents have reported platform-driven rent increases. She told colleagues she will work with staff and legal counsel and hopes to circulate proposed language "in the coming weeks." Other councilmembers expressed support for pursuing city-level action on the issue.
Discussion vs. decision: Strauss announced staff direction to draft legislation; no formal ordinance was introduced or voted on during the briefing. The transcript shows discussion and an explicit request to produce draft legislation and legal analysis, but no committee referral or formal action was recorded.
