Renting in the Triangle? Your Landlord May Be Accused of Price-Fixing

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Good morning readers,

Do you rent an apartment in the Triangle? If so, there’s a solid chance that Jeff Jackson is suing your landlord for making your rent too damn high.

In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, North Carolina’s new attorney general joined forces with the U.S. Department of Justice and nine other states to accuse six major landlords of working with software company RealPage “to share non-public information about rent prices, occupancy, strategies for setting rents, and discounts.”

“I’m suing these landlords to make sure they play by the rules so North Carolinians can get fair prices for rent,” said Jackson in a press release.

The named companies own or operate more than 70,000 units throughout the state, per the attorney general, including some of the most recognizable apartments in the Triangle area. 

A lovely Washington Post analysis found that the Triangle is one of the most heavily impacted areas. The Post found that about 43 percent of multifamily housing units in the Raleigh-Cary area are managed by the named companies. In Durham-Chapel Hill (I know, I know—I didn’t pick that geographic grouping), that share is about 34 percent.

RealPage has denied wrongdoing. But in 2022, a ProPublica investigation found that RealPage’s algorithm uses pricing data from its clients to make recommendations to landlords about what rents to charge. And those rents are often higher than what property managers would have otherwise charged.

Read more here. And if we do get some snow, stay warm and uh, maybe stay off the roads.

—Chase

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Durham

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In the latest Durham Public Schools bus news—the school system changed course Thursday night, deciding express stops, which had garnered community pushback, won’t be needed when rotational bus service ends after next week.

Wake

Since the 70s, Raleigh’s average winter temps have increased by nearly six degrees, resulting in fewer flurries. This weekend, residents may see their first measurable snowfall since 2022.

Orange

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North Carolina

The winter storm is expected to move into the Triangle later today, making roads messy for evening commutes. 

Where did state legislators go to college? Their backgrounds may shape how they tackle higher education issues this year. 

The nonprofit that was run by former Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson’s wife now owes the state $101,142. That’s a reduction from the figure the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services determined last year.

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