Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Rentals topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
College Park tenants union asks council to probe use of RealPage rent‑setting software
Summary
Members of the College Park Tenants Union urged the City Council to investigate local use of RealPage rent‑setting software, to write to the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney, and to consider joining litigation. Councilmembers expressed interest but asked for more information before taking formal action.
Members of the recently formed College Park Tenants Union told the City Council on Feb. 11 that software from RealPage, a commercial rent‑management company, is being used by several local landlords and may be contributing to higher rents in the city.
The tenants union described research — including a Washington Post report and recent litigation — that it said shows RealPage’s algorithmic pricing can suppress competition among landlords and push rents higher. “RealPage’s technology helps these landlords effectively collude in setting rent prices, suppressing competition and inflating costs far beyond the genuine market rate,” said Dhruvak Mirani, a College Park resident and co‑founder of the College Park Tenants Union.
The tenants union asked the council to investigate how RealPage is used in College Park, to determine whether those practices violate local regulations, and to take “immediate action” if violations are found. The speakers specifically urged the mayor and council to write to the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney and to “participate in any and all applicable litigation” against RealPage to the fullest extent possible.
“We therefore urge the city council to investigate the nature of RealPage usage in College Park to determine if these practices violate any local regulations, and if so, to take immediate action,” Mirani said.
Other tenants reiterated the request. Fran Riley, who identified herself as a College Park resident and student and as a member of the College Park Community Union, said recent lawsuits name landlords who operate five local properties — The Astor, The Domain, Varsity, Atworth and Union on Knox — and that two named landlords, Bozzuto Management Company and Greystar Management Services LLC, operate about 1,678 units in the city. “Rent in College Park, as you all know, is expensive, especially for students,” Riley said, noting median one‑bedroom rents cited in real‑estate listings.
Ganon Sprinkle, also speaking for the tenants union, described how RealPage gathers proprietary data from participating landlords and feeds that information into price‑setting algorithms that the union contends enable coordinated, anti‑competitive pricing.
Council response: Councilmember Rigg urged the tenants union to put their request in writing to the city so the council and staff can review it. “I would urge the tenants union to write a letter with their request to CPMC at collegeparkmd.gov. I’m compelled about this, but I don’t have much further information, so I’d like to learn more,” Rigg said. Other councilmembers asked for more details before committing to legal participation or investigation.
No formal council action was taken at the meeting; councilmembers asked staff and the union to provide more information so the council can consider next steps.
Why it matters: Tenants’ advocates say algorithmic rent‑setting is an emerging legal and policy issue that can affect affordability across many units in a city. The tenants union asked a small city‑level government to investigate potential local violations and to participate in broader litigation already underway at the state and federal level.
What’s next: Councilmember Rigg asked the tenants union to submit written materials to cpmc@collegeparkmd.gov for staff review; the council did not vote to join litigation or open a formal investigation at the Feb. 11 meeting.
