Hi Reader,

Injustice, in one form or another, is the subject of nearly every ProPublica investigation.

Here’s why: We’re steadfast in our mission to use the power of journalism to expose corruption and abuses of power. And our reporting can make a real difference: policies get reversed or new ones get enacted, people at the top resign, debts are erased, innocent people are freed, and so much more.

One example is our investigation into YieldStar, a rent-setting software sold by Texas-based company RealPage. YieldStar’s proprietary algorithm is used by landlords all over the country to set prices for apartments and help them “beat the market.” One of the algorithm’s developers even told ProPublica that, compared to a computer, leasing agents have “too much empathy.” As rents continue to soar, critics are concerned that the software’s design and growing reach is allowing landlords to indirectly coordinate their prices and undermine market competition. Our investigation found that in one neighborhood in Seattle, 70% of apartments were overseen by just 10 property managers, every single one of whom used pricing software sold by RealPage.

After our story was published, the Department of Justice opened an investigation into RealPage, and more than two dozen federal lawsuits were filed by renters alleging antitrust violations by the company and more than 40 landlords in multiple states. And now, this month we covered RealPage’s responses to questions from a group of senators, including Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, which the lawmakers said were “alarming.” In a letter to the DOJ, the senators requested that the agency “act to protect American families and closely review rent-setting algorithms like YieldStar to determine if they are having anti-competitive effects on local housing markets that have seen increased institutional investor activity.”

ProPublica readers like you donate the money that powers reporting like this. Our mission grows more important by the day, and with your help, we can dig deeper and, together, spur even more impact. Donate today and support journalism that keeps the powerful accountable.

Thanks,
Jill Shepherd
Proud ProPublican