Software that helps landlords set prices for apartments across the U.S.

ProPublica ProPublica <[link removed]> Donate <[link removed]>

The Big Story
Sat. Oct 15, 2022

<[link removed]>

Rent Going Up? One Company’s Algorithm Could Be Why. <[link removed]> Texas-based RealPage’s YieldStar software helps landlords set prices for apartments across the U.S. With rents soaring, critics are concerned that the company’s proprietary algorithm is hurting competition. by Heather Vogell, ProPublica, with data analysis by Haru Coryne, ProPublica, and Ryan Little

VIEW STORY <[link removed]>

How Your Shadow Credit Score Could Decide Whether You Get an Apartment <[link removed]> The vast tenant screening industry is subject to less regulation than credit scoring agencies, even though experts warn that algorithms could introduce racial or other illegal biases that can prevent people from getting housing. by Erin Smith, and Heather Vogell, ProPublica <[link removed]>

When Private Equity Becomes Your Landlord <[link removed]> Amid a national housing crisis, giant private equity firms have been buying up apartment buildings en masse to squeeze them for profit, with the help of government-backed Freddie Mac. Meanwhile, tenants say they’re the ones paying the price. by Heather Vogell <[link removed]>

More From Our Newsroom

USDA Plans Major Reforms to Curb Salmonella in Poultry <[link removed]> An earlier ProPublica investigation showed that weak food safety protections have done little to stop Americans from getting sick from salmonella poisoning. by Michael Grabell <[link removed]>

D.C. Attorney General Opens Investigation Into Republican Governors’ Shipping of Immigrants to the Capital <[link removed]> Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and others have been sending thousands of immigrants to Washington, D.C. Karl Racine, the district’s attorney general, is investigating whether immigrants have been deceived. by Marilyn W. Thompson and Perla Trevizo <[link removed]>

This New Jersey Agency Prioritizes Tourism Over Housing, Pushing Vulnerable Residents Out of Their Homes <[link removed]> The state’s Casino Reinvestment Development Authority is supposed to put casino taxes back into the community. Some of its deals have made housing options worse, not better, for Atlantic City’s vulnerable residents. by Alison Burdo, The Press of Atlantic City, photography by Kriston Jae Bethel, special to ProPublica <[link removed]>

Police Need Warrants to Search Homes. Child Welfare Agents Almost Never Get One. <[link removed]> Each year, child protective services agencies inspect the homes of roughly 3.5 million children, opening refrigerators and closets without a warrant. Only about 5% of these kids are ultimately found to have been physically or sexually abused. by Eli Hager, photography by Stephanie Mei-Ling, special to ProPublica and NBC News <[link removed]>

Mandatory Reporting Was Supposed to Stop Severe Child Abuse. It Punishes Poor Families Instead. <[link removed]> After the Sandusky child abuse scandal rocked Pennsylvania, the state required more professionals to report suspected child abuse. That led to a strained child welfare system and more unsubstantiated reports against low-income families. by Mike Hixenbaugh and Suzy Khimm, NBC News, and Agnel Philip, ProPublica, photography by Stephanie Mei-Ling, special to ProPublica and NBC News <[link removed]>

Who Is My Member of Congress? Here’s How to Find Out What Your Reps Have Been Up To. <[link removed]> Your representative is on the ballot in 2022 and your senator may be too. Here are some ways to see what your elected officials have been up to — as well as some background on how lawmaking works (and what it looks like when it doesn’t). by Karim Doumar and Cynthia Gordy Giwa <[link removed]>

How Ron DeSantis Blew Up Black-Held Congressional Districts and May Have Broken Florida Law <[link removed]> DeSantis’ move, secretly aided by GOP-linked national operatives, came over the objections of the Republican-controlled state legislature. by Joshua Kaplan <[link removed]>

The Globetrotting Con Man and Suspected Spy Who Met With President Trump <[link removed]> Tao Liu’s criminal odyssey took him from money laundering in Mexico to a massive scam in China to Trump’s exclusive New Jersey golf club. Investigators believed he may have infiltrated U.S. politics as part of a Chinese intelligence operation. by Sebastian Rotella and Kirsten Berg <[link removed]>

How a Chinese American Gangster Transformed Money Laundering for Drug Cartels <[link removed]> Xizhi Li pioneered a new method that enriched Latin American drug lords and China’s elite. A DEA investigation found the Chinese government may have been involved. by Sebastian Rotella and Kirsten Berg <[link removed]>

Find us on Facebook <[link removed]> Follow us on Twitter <[link removed]> Follow us on Instagram <[link removed]> Watch us on Youtube <[link removed]> Donate <[link removed]>

Get the ProPublica mobile app:
Download on the App Store <[link removed]> Get it on Google Play <[link removed]>
Was this email forwarded to you from a friend? Subscribe. <[link removed]> Want less email? Click here if you only want to receive one ProPublica newsletter each week. This email was sent to [email protected]. Update your email preferences or unsubscribe <[link removed]> to stop receiving this newsletter. Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. <[link removed]> ProPublica • 155 Ave of the Americas, 13th Floor • New York, NY 10013 <a href="[link removed]><img src="[link removed]" alt="" border="0" /></a>