Warren, Senators Press RealPage on Multi-Million Lobbying Campaign and House Republicans’ Provision Blocking States from Protecting Renters
RealPage has been scrutinized for use of AI algorithms that drive up costs for renters
Provision would block state and local efforts to protect renters from artificial price hikes powered by AI pricing tools
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) sent a letter to Dana Jones, CEO and President of RealPage, expressing concerns regarding RealPage potentially benefiting from a provision on artificial intelligence (AI) included in the House Republicans’ budget reconciliation package. The provision would prohibit the enforcement of any state or local laws on AI for the next ten years.
RealPage’s YieldStar and AI Revenue Management (AIRM) tools use black box algorithmic pricing schemes to unfairly hike rents at a time when Americans face a national housing affordability crisis. Several states and cities have passed or are considering laws limiting the use of AI-enabled pricing software.
“[M]ore Americans than ever before are now paying over 30 and 50 percent of their income on housing,” wrote the senators. “In light of this, we seek information on RealPage’s lobbying efforts, and on how the Republicans’ reconciliation provision would help the bottom line of RealPage and other large corporations by allowing them to take advantage of consumers.”
Last week, the Republican-controlled House passed a reconciliation bill that cuts Medicaid and rips away health care coverage for millions of Americans, all to pay for trillions of dollars in giveaways for billionaires. In what has been described as a “massive artificial intelligence giveaway,” the bill also includes a provision that would block state- and local-level efforts to curb the harms of products like YieldStar and AIRM, the cornerstones of RealPage’s business model.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has already sued RealPage for “its unlawful scheme to decrease competition among landlords in apartment pricing,” which the DOJ asserts constitutes unlawful price-fixing. Since the DOJ lawsuit was filed in August 2024, RealPage has amped up its lobbying efforts on AI-related issues, nearly doubling its lobbying spending from $4.8 million in 2020 to nearly $9 million in 2024. The senators point out that following these investments, House Republicans worked to "nullify existing and future state efforts to address the harms from AI.”
“The net result will be that Americans will lose important protections against the misuse of AI tools,” warned the senators. “This will directly benefit RealPage and similar companies, at the expense of renters who will be forced to pay higher costs for rent and other daily needs.”
The senators have previously written letters in November 2022, March 2023, September 2024, and February 2025 raising the alarm about RealPage’s YieldStar and AIRM products. Due to RealPage’s potential involvement in this harmful measure, the senators requested a response to their questions by June 10, 2025.
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