Feds suing nation's largest private apartment manager over 'deceptive' lease advertising
Source: USA Today
Published 6:02 a.m. ET April 15, 2025
DENVER ‒ Federal regulators have accused the nation's largest private apartment landlord of soaking tenants with hidden fees for years, bulking up its bottom line by billions of dollars by advertising deceptively low lease rates and then tacking on mandatory costs later.
The lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, a Democrat, says South Carolina-based landlord Greystar only disclosed the true rental prices after prospective tenants had paid application fees or signed their leases. The fees included mandatory payments for pest management, trash and community amenities, officials said.
"Because of Greystar’s deceptive advertising and hidden fees, tenants are on the hook in their lease for hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars more than they anticipated that their apartment would cost," Weiser said in a statement. The lawsuit says Greystar has earned significant extra profits by misleading renters, and in some cases not disclosing the extra fees until after prospective tenants paid nonrefundable application fees.
Greystar manages more than 800,000 rental units nationally, from student housing to apartment towers and senior residential units. The company rejected the accusations made by the FTC and Weiser, and said tenants never signed leases without full disclosure. Greystar said it plans to ask a judge to dismiss the lawsuit, calling the accusations "gross misrepresentations" of fact.
Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/04/15/ftc-sue-greystar-apartment-fees-lawsuit-renters/83084327007/
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