"Portland City Council voted Wednesday night to adopt Councilor Angelita Morillo's proposed AI rental price-fixing ban, with eight councilors in support. In addition to co-sponsors Green, and Koyama Lane, the ordinance was approved by Councilors Dunphy, Avalos, Kanal, Loretta Smith, and Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney. Clark and Ryan voted no, and Councilors Steve Novick and Eric Zimmerman were absent. After months of uncertainty, a policy to ban the sale or use of algorithmic rental price-fixing software in Portland is back on the table."
"The policy, which is co-sponsored by Councilors Mitch Green and Tiffany Koyama Lane, is intended to address a tool that allows large building owners to share private data through software that collectively sets rent prices. Antitrust experts and tenant advocates say the property management software companies-and the landlords that contract with them-are skirting federal price-fixing law by using the algorithmic tool. They say the software enables landlords to essentially collude with one another to keep rents artificially high."
"Wednesday's City Council vote takes place on the same day the state of Oregon announced a proposed $7 million legal settlement with the nation's largest landlord over illegal rental price fixing. The policy, which is co-sponsored by Councilors Mitch Green and Tiffany Koyama Lane, is intended to address a tool that allows large building owners to share private data through software that collectively sets rent prices."
Portland City Council adopted an ordinance prohibiting the sale or use of algorithmic rental price‑fixing software, with eight councilors voting in favor and two against. The ordinance was brought by Councilor Angelita Morillo and co‑sponsored by Mitch Green and Tiffany Koyama Lane after an earlier version was tabled and later tweaked. The vote coincided with Oregon announcing a proposed $7 million settlement with a major landlord over illegal price fixing. Antitrust experts and tenant advocates contend property management software lets landlords share private data and coordinate rents, effectively skirting federal price‑fixing law. Multi‑state litigation targets companies using tools like RealPage, and federal enforcement has been pursued.
Read at Portland Mercury
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