Canadian landlords accused of rent rigging using AI software

A proposed class-action lawsuit alleges more than a dozen landlords and property managers have conspired to artificially inflate rents across Canada. The suit claims landlords and property managers did it by using software called YieldStar. The Canadian suit alleges the software essentially allows landlords and property managers to share proprietary data on their rental pricing — information that wouldn't normally be shared with competitors — and that this could potentially allow companies to fix prices. The move comes after the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a similar lawsuit in August against RealPage Inc., the Texas-based company that created YieldStar. RealPage says it has filed a motion to dismiss the DOJ's lawsuit alleging antitrust violations. RealPage is also named in the proposed Canadian suit. It has told CBC its software is designed to be "legally compliant" and that it will "vigorously defend itself" in court. The suit is seeking financial compensation for any current and past tenants who have lived in any of the properties owned or operated by the 14 companies named. This issued claim is the first step before a class action is certified in court, which the main litigator on the case says could take months. #Housing #Rentals #YieldStar #ArtificialIntelligence #News #CBCNews Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news »»» Subscribe to CBC News to watch more videos: http://bit.ly/1RreYWS Connect with CBC News Online: For breaking news, video, audio and in-depth coverage: http://bit.ly/1Z0m6iX Follow CBC News on TikTok: https://bit.ly/3TnHioe Follow CBC News on Twitter: http://bit.ly/1sA5P9H Find CBC News on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1WjG36m Follow CBC News on Instagram: http://bit.ly/1Z0iE7O Subscribe to CBC News on Snapchat: https://bit.ly/3leaWsr Download the CBC News app for iOS: http://apple.co/25mpsUz Download the CBC News app for Android: http://bit.ly/1XxuozZ »»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»» For more than 80 years, CBC News has been the source Canadians turn to, to keep them informed about their communities, their country and their world. Through regional and national programming on multiple platforms, including CBC Television, CBC News Network, CBC Radio, CBCNews.ca, mobile and on-demand, CBC News and its internationally recognized team of award-winning journalists deliver the breaking stories, the issues, the analyses and the personalities that matter to Canadians.