37 Landlords Used an Algorithm to Fix Your Rent. The $359.9M Settlement Is Still Open. Claim Before January 29, 2027.
Thirty-seven major property management companies settled a federal antitrust lawsuit alleging they used RealPage’s software to coordinate apartment rents and keep them artificially high. If you rented an apartment in the United States between October 18, 2018, and November 21, 2025, you may be eligible for a cash payment from a $359,925,000 settlement fund. No proof of purchase required. The deadline to file is January 29, 2027.
Settlement at a glance
Settlement fund
$359,925,000
Claim deadline
January 29, 2027
Class period
Oct. 18, 2018 - Nov. 21, 2025
Proof required
No
Official claim site
RealPageRentalSettlement.com
Final approval hearing
October 15, 2026
What settlements can you actually claim?
The RealPage settlement is one of several large class action settlements still accepting claims right now. Payout tracks all of them and matches you with the ones you qualify for:
YouTube Privacy Settlement
Cash App Referral Texts
Waffle Recall (TreeHouse Foods)
Poppi Soda False Advertising
Krispy Kreme Data Breach
Michael Kors Outlet Pricing
Vending Machine Overcharges
Beef Price-Fixing (Tyson & Cargill)
What RealPage actually did
RealPage sold revenue management software called YieldStar, Lease Rent Options, and AI Revenue Management to large apartment landlords across the United States. The software worked by having competing landlords share their private rent data with RealPage, which then used that combined data to generate pricing recommendations for all of them at once.
The class action alleged that instead of each landlord setting prices independently based on what tenants were actually willing to pay, they were all using the same algorithm fed by each other’s confidential data. The DOJ sued RealPage separately, and DOJ antitrust chief Gail Slater put it plainly in a statement covered by NPR: “RealPage was replacing competition with coordination, and renters paid the price.”
RealPage controlled roughly 80% of the commercial revenue management software market for multifamily housing during the class period. The settling property management companies deny any wrongdoing, but agreed to pay $359,925,000 to resolve the civil claims. As part of the settlement, they also agreed to stop sharing non-public pricing data with RealPage going forward.
The lawsuit against RealPage itself and non-settling defendants continues. These 37 settlements cover only the property management companies that chose to resolve the claims against them.
Who qualifies for the RealPage settlement?
The settlement class includes any person in the United States who paid rent directly to a landlord, property manager, or owner-operator for a multifamily residential apartment at a property licensed to use RealPage’s revenue management software at any point between October 18, 2018, and November 21, 2025.
The covered software products are YieldStar, Lease Rent Options, and AI Revenue Management. If your building ran any of these during the class period, you qualify. If multiple people paid rent for the same unit during the same period, each person files their own separate claim.
To check whether your building is in the settlement, use the property search tool at RealPageRentalSettlement.com. Even if your specific property isn’t found in the database, the site allows you to submit a standard claim for review.
You do not need to have received a settlement notice. You do not need a lawyer. You do not need your old lease. Filing is free at all times, including directly on the official settlement site. Payout is a settlement-discovery app, not a law firm, and it never takes a cut of your claims.
How to file a RealPage settlement claim
The entire claim process takes about five minutes online. Here are the steps:
Go to RealPageRentalSettlement.com
This is the only court-authorized filing site, run by the court-appointed settlement administrator. Do not pay any third party to file on your behalf.
Check your property
Use the property search tool to see if your former address is in the settlement class. Even if your building isn't found in the database, you can still submit a claim for consideration.
Enter your notice details or complete the standard form
If you received a notice by email or mail, enter the Notice ID and Confirmation Code from the notice. If you didn't receive one, complete the general form with your name, address, and the address and dates of your tenancy.
Submit by January 29, 2027
You can also download a paper form and mail it. Paper forms must be postmarked by January 29, 2027. Save your online confirmation number after submitting.
Wait for distribution
Payments go out after the court grants final approval (hearing: October 15, 2026) and after any appeals are resolved. There is nothing else to do after filing.
How much will you get?
No per-person estimate has been published. Your share is calculated as a pro-rata payment using two inputs: how much rent you paid during the class period and estimated overcharge percentages from economic analysis.
From the $359,925,000 gross fund, the court has been asked to approve up to $119,975,000 in attorneys’ fees plus costs. That leaves a distributable fund of roughly $240,000,000 before administration expenses, depending on what the court approves.
The per-person payout also depends on how many valid claims are filed. Renters who paid higher monthly rent, rented for more years, or lived in more affected units during the class period will receive proportionally larger payments. The more claims filed, the smaller each individual share.
For context on how these calculations work and what ranges look like across different settlement types, see our breakdown of class action settlement payouts per person. Antitrust rent settlements are newer than data breach or product settlements, so historical ranges are limited.
Which landlords are in the settlement?
Thirty-seven separate settlements cover 41 property management entities. The largest individual contributors to the settlement fund include:
Other settling defendants include Bell Partners, Related Management Company, WinnResidential, and others. A full list appears on the official settlement notice at RealPageRentalSettlement.com. The litigation against RealPage itself and non-settling defendants continues separately.
Key dates
September 1, 2026: Opt-out deadline
Last day to mail a written request to exclude yourself from the settlement and preserve your right to sue separately.
October 15, 2026: Final approval hearing
The court will decide whether to grant final approval of the 37 settlements.
January 29, 2027: Claim filing deadline
Online claims must be submitted and mailed paper forms must be postmarked by this date.
2027 or later: Payments distributed
Distribution begins only after final approval is granted and any appeals are fully resolved.
You didn’t get a notice. Can you still file?
Yes. Settlement notices are mailed and emailed based on records from the settling landlords, and those records don’t always include current addresses for former tenants. Plenty of eligible renters who moved in the years since 2018 will never receive a notice.
The official site allows a standard claim form without a Notice ID. You provide your name, current address, and the address and dates of your tenancy. The administrator reviews the claim against property eligibility records. If you qualify and file before January 29, 2027, you are eligible to receive payment. For more on tracking your claim after you file, see our guide on how to check your class action settlement claim status.
What renters are saying
Discussion on r/REBubble about the RealPage lawsuit has been active since the case was filed. The reaction from renters has been consistent: people knew their rent was high during the class period, but had no way of knowing their landlord’s pricing software was coordinating with competitors. One commenter summarized the allegation directly: “It’s essentially collusion. Not very cool.” (r/REBubble)
The practical questions in those threads have largely been the same: does my city count, does my specific building count, and what do I need to prove? The answers to all three are reassuring. The settlement covers properties nationwide. You check your building on the official site. No proof of tenancy is required to file an initial claim.
RealPage held roughly 80% market share in commercial revenue management software for apartments during the class period. If you rented at a mid-size or large apartment complex in a major metro between 2018 and 2025, your building had a statistically high chance of running RealPage software. The property search tool on the settlement site is the quickest way to confirm.
Should you opt out instead of filing?
Opting out makes sense only if you plan to sue one of the settling defendants separately for a larger amount than the settlement would pay. To opt out, you must mail a written request postmarked by September 1, 2026. If you do nothing, or if you file a claim, you give up your right to sue the settling defendants over these specific rent-fixing allegations.
For almost all renters, filing is the correct choice. Individual lawsuits over rent overcharges are expensive, slow, and uncertain. Payout is a settlement-discovery app and not a law firm. This post is not legal advice. If you have specific questions about your options, a consumer rights attorney can advise you. And if you want to see every other open settlement you may qualify for right now, the full list of open class action settlements is a good place to start.