Attorney General Bonta Announces $7 Million Settlement with Property Management Company LivCor for its Role in Algorithmic Rent Alignment Scheme

OAKLAND -California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, as part of a bipartisan coalition of nine attorneys general, announced a $7 million settlement with LivCor, LLC (LivCor), one of the property management companies named as a defendant in Attorney General Bonta's ongoing antitrust lawsuit against software company RealPage. The settlement resolves allegations that LivCor used RealPage's revenue management system to align rental prices with competing landlords by illegally sharing and gathering confidential pricing information. This conduct interfered with the normal competitive process and enabled landlords to keep prices higher, even in conditions when landlords naturally would lower prices. Under today's settlement, which is subject to court approval, LivCor agrees to not use software offered by any company that uses competitively sensitive information to align rent prices and agrees to cooperate in the ongoing prosecution of RealPage and other defendant landlords. This is the second settlement reached by the states in this litigation; in November 2025, Attorney General Bonta announced a $7 million settlement with Greystar.

"California tenants should not have to wonder whether the rent they are paying each month is the result of an unlawful scheme," said Attorney General Bonta. "Families across the country are staring down a raging affordability crisis that is made worse when companies act illegally to line their own pockets. Our settlement today ensures LivCor no longer engages in this conduct and should make it very clear that my office will continue to steadfastly hold companies accountable when they unlawfully raise prices for Californians."

RealPage uses algorithmic models to recommend price increases to subscribers. As alleged in the January 2025 complaint, LivCor and other landlords, including five co-defendants, shared competitively sensitive data to generate pricing recommendations using RealPage's algorithms. LivCor and other landlords discussed competitively sensitive topics - including pricing strategies, rents, and selected parameters for RealPage's software - directly with each other. Landlords also understood that their nonpublic data would be used to recommend prices not just for their own units, but also for competitors who use the programs, and agreed to provide this information because they understood they would benefit from the information of their rivals. In other words, RealPage knew what competing landlords were charging and could increase profits for landlords by using that information to recommend that landlords set or raise their prices uniformly, thereby eliminating competition, and leaving renters no choice but to pay artificially high prices.

In California, LivCor managed approximately 57 multifamily rental properties that used RealPage's pricing software. Over the last four decades, housing needs have significantly outpaced housing production in California. Housing costs have skyrocketed, making it harder for Californians to keep a roof over their heads. California's 17 million tenants spend a significant portion of their paychecks on rent, with an estimated 700,000 Californians at risk of eviction.

Today's settlement requires LivCor to pay $7 million in penalties and fees to the states. LivCor must also:

• Cease use of any revenue management software that uses competitors' nonpublic pricing data to generate rent recommendations. LivCor has stopped using RealPage software.
• Refrain from sharing competitively sensitive pricing information with rival landlords or property managers.
• Establish an antitrust compliance and training program.
• Accept a court-appointed monitor if it uses a third-party pricing algorithm that is not certified pursuant to the terms of the consent decree.
• Cooperate fully with the states' ongoing litigation against RealPage and the remaining defendants.

Litigation against RealPage and the remaining property management defendants - Camden, Pinnacle, and Willow Bridge - is ongoing.

In securing this settlement, Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of North Carolina, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, and Tennessee.

The Affordability Response Team

Earlier this month, Attorney General Bonta announced the launch of the Affordability Response Team within the California Department of Justice (DOJ). Californians are facing an affordability crisis of epic proportions - and many cannot see a light at the end of the tunnel. Housing shortages, skyrocketing grocery prices, rising healthcare and childcare costs, predatory corporate behavior, and the federal government's unstable economic policies are all making it difficult not only to cover the basics, but to enjoy the experiences, vacations, and joys that make life richer for millions across our state. The Affordability Response Team will draw on the knowledge of experts from sections across the department, working together to find, investigate, and go after individuals and corporations deploying unlawful practices that are making life unaffordable for the people of California. To learn more, visit oag.ca.gov/affordability.

Californians who believe they have been affected by anticompetitive conduct can submit a complaint using DOJ's Antitrust Complaint Form. Tenants who need legal help can find legal aid resources in their area by visiting LawHelpCA.org.