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DOJ sues realpage for algorithmic pricing scheme that harms renters

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Re: DOJ sues realpage for algorithmic pricing scheme that harms renters

#641

Post by anticensor »

crazygringo wrote: post #354
gruez wrote: post #332

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Today, it looks like landlords using mathematical algorithms to align their rents." It's unclear how that can ever be outlawed though. Given the classic supply/demand curve, everyone can theoretically independently derive the optimal price. Doing so would arguably be basic business acumen, and I'm not sure how the government can ban that without banning any sort of pricing research, or preventing businesses from set…

> Realpage goes beyond this by pressuring landlords to accept their recommended price, and that's probably what got them in hot water, but they could probably have gotten away with it if they didn't do that. Yes, but it seems like that would miss the point of Realpage entirely. Which is that if all landlords pay for it and are pressured to follow its recommendations they all make a lot more money. Using algorithms to…

Or, do the opposite, and force everyone to publish (not privately share!) their pricing strategy well ahead of time, but prohibit including competitors' prices or proxies thereof as decision variables. The most resilient strategy possible is the one that works even when everyone else knows and everyone else also publishes theirs but still engages in competition.

Re: DOJ sues realpage for algorithmic pricing scheme that harms renters

#642

Post by anticensor »

mannyv wrote: post #485

FYI the way you get around this legally is to set up a nonprofit and funnel all your pricing information to that nonprofit. Then everyone uses the non-profit's data to set prices. You can also use aggregator websites to check pricing. I know of a bunch of small hotels that use expedia/booking.com/etc to do this.

You cannot do that without completely publishing the price. It will otherwise be caught.

Re: DOJ sues realpage for algorithmic pricing scheme that harms renters

#643

Post by thfuran »

miketery wrote: post #607
thfuran wrote: post #541

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then all the five page long boilerplate contracts for every service you use are just going to add another clause saying that they get an irrevocable, transferable license to the data they collect. Probably without telling you because there's already a clause saying they're allowed to change the contract without notice.

Regulations can and often do supersede contract clauses.

Sure, but unless the data is given some special new kind of copyright that can't be licensed or whatever, that wouldn't. Copyright just isn't the right tool for this job.

Re: DOJ sues realpage for algorithmic pricing scheme that harms renters

#644

Post by JackYoustra »

RhodesianHunter wrote: post #110
JackYoustra wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't see why this is an important point: food is an industry and it's never been cheaper in human history than in developed capitalist countries with vibrant agribusiness.

True but, look up the price fixing that's been going on in big AG via AgriStats. Similar story as OP.

yup. Cartels always bad!

Re: DOJ sues realpage for algorithmic pricing scheme that harms renters

#645

Post by reciprocity »

bick_nyers wrote: post #599
bobthepanda wrote: post #473

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The NYT recently did a piece on how the tendrils of the housing crisis have made it out to places like Kalamazoo, MI that are not really traditionally high COL cities with booming economies. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/22/business/economy/housing-... We are running out of cheap places to live in. Remote work has mostly pushed the crisis to other places without a corresponding pressure release in the high COL area…

I can't read the article because of the paywall, but Kalamazoo is unique due to the Kalamazoo Promise, where college tuition (in the state of MI) is paid for if you attend Kalamazoo Public Schools. For me that was $60k of tuition I didn't have to take out loans for. Housing/grocery prices have gone up there but not nearly as dramatically as other places.

Wow, the Kalamazoo Promise has been going on since 2005. I wasn't aware of this program; that's very cool.

Re: DOJ sues realpage for algorithmic pricing scheme that harms renters

#646

Post by RhodesianHunter »

WarOnPrivacy wrote: post #617
bick_nyers wrote: post #599

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't read the article because of the paywall, but Kalamazoo is unique due to the Kalamazoo Promise, where college tuition (in the state of MI) is paid for if you attend Kalamazoo Public Schools. For me that was $60k of tuition I didn't have to take out loans for. Housing/grocery prices have gone up there but not nearly as dramatically as other places.

> Kalamazoo is unique Our rents in Florida have doubled for unique reasons. My loved ones in VA, DE, MD, KY, NC and MI are seeing rents over 50% higher for reasons unique to each area. It kind of feels like a pattern.

Half of builders went out of business in 2008 and 1/3 left the trades.

We only just recently reached the level of new home starts we were hitting pre great-recession.

We have a decade's worth of supply deficit and in most locale's aren't doing much to overcome this.

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