Greystar Real Estate Partners, the largest apartment manager in the United States, has agreed to pay more than $82 million across five separate lawsuits since 2024. The Greystar lawsuits cover hidden rental fees, algorithmic coordination of rent increases with competing landlords, illegal early-termination charges on military tenants, and premature late fees in Massachusetts. Greystar has denied wrongdoing in every case. Most of the refund processes are not yet open to renters.
The FTC and Colorado Hidden-Fee Case
On January 16, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser sued Greystar in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.1FTC. FTC, State of Colorado Take Action Against Greystar The complaint said Greystar advertised low base rents while burying mandatory monthly charges that added tens to hundreds of dollars to the actual price of a unit.
The fees at issue included valet trash pickup, package handling, utility administration, media and smart-home packages, and “verification fees” charged to tenants who used their own renters’ insurance rather than a Greystar-affiliated product.2Multifamily Dive. FTC, Colorado Sue Greystar Over Alleged Hidden Fees Prospective tenants often learned the real price only after handing over personal information, paying nonrefundable application fees or holding deposits, or receiving a lease agreement running 40 to 60 pages. Renters who then backed out lost what they had already paid. The government said the practices had cost renters “hundreds of millions of dollars” since at least 2019.1FTC. FTC, State of Colorado Take Action Against Greystar
Greystar initially called the case “headline-grabbing litigation” built on “flawed legal theories,” and said no resident pays a fee they have not reviewed and agreed to in their lease.2Multifamily Dive. FTC, Colorado Sue Greystar Over Alleged Hidden Fees
On December 2, 2025, the company agreed to a stipulated order for permanent injunction and paid $24 million: $23 million to the FTC for consumer refunds and $1 million to Colorado.3FTC. Greystar Agrees to Pay $24 Million, Stop Deceptive Advertising Practices The order requires Greystar to display a “Total Monthly Leasing Price” in advertising that includes base rent and every mandatory fee, and to disclose full pricing before taking any payment from a prospective tenant, including application fees.
If you rented from Greystar and paid hidden fees, the FTC has not yet published a claims process or a refund administrator for the $23 million pool. The case is still listed as pending in the District of Colorado.4FTC. Greystar et al. (FTC, Colorado v.) Watch for an FTC announcement identifying a refund administrator; consumer refunds in FTC settlements are typically distributed by check or electronic payment once an administrator is appointed.
The DOJ Antitrust Case Over RealPage
The Department of Justice added Greystar to its antitrust suit against rent-setting software company RealPage in January 2025. The government alleged that Greystar and five other major landlords fed competitively sensitive information into RealPage’s software, which then generated pricing recommendations designed to push rents higher in coordinated fashion across competing properties. Prosecutors also said landlords discussed pricing directly with each other, sometimes at meetings hosted by RealPage.5Federal Register. United States v. RealPage, Inc., Proposed Final Judgment The DOJ alleged violations of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act.
On August 8, 2025, the DOJ filed a proposed consent decree with Greystar in the Middle District of North Carolina.6DOJ. Justice Department Reaches Proposed Settlement With Greystar The decree runs five years and bars Greystar from:
- Licensing or using any revenue management product that relies on nonpublic data from competing landlords, imposes rent-price floors, or limits how far a suggested rent can drop.
- Disclosing or soliciting nonpublic pricing data to or from other landlords.
- Attending meetings hosted by RealPage.
Greystar must also appoint an antitrust compliance officer, submit to DOJ inspections, accept a court-appointed monitor if it uses any third-party pricing tool, and cooperate as a “Government Cooperator” in the ongoing case against RealPage. Greystar did not admit wrongdoing.5Federal Register. United States v. RealPage, Inc., Proposed Final Judgment
This decree does not send money to renters. Financial recovery for tenants harmed by RealPage-related rent coordination comes through the private class action described below.
The Nine-State Attorney General Settlement
In November 2025, a bipartisan group of nine state attorneys general reached a separate $7 million settlement with Greystar over the same algorithmic rent-setting conduct. The states are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, and Tennessee.7Oregon DOJ. AG Rayfield Announces Settlement With Largest US Landlord Over Price-Fixing Scheme The consent decree requires Greystar to stop using software that relies on sensitive competitor data, refrain from sharing nonpublic pricing information, appoint an antitrust compliance officer within 30 days, and cooperate in the prosecution of RealPage and the other landlord defendants.8Multifamily Dive. Greystar Settlement Over Rent-Setting Algorithms
The $7 million is characterized as penalties and fees paid to the states, not compensation directed to individual renters.9California OAG. Attorney General Bonta Announces $7 Million Settlement With Greystar Even if you rent in one of the nine states, this settlement will not send you a check. The settlement remains subject to court approval.
The Private RealPage Class Action
Renters seeking money for alleged rent inflation through RealPage software are covered by the private class action In re RealPage Inc. Rental Software Antitrust Litigation, consolidated in the Middle District of Tennessee. The case names Greystar among roughly 50 property management defendants and alleges the group conspired through RealPage’s software to inflate rents and restrict supply. The court denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss in December 2023 and the case moved into discovery.10Hausfeld. RealPage Federal Antitrust Class Action
In October 2025, Greystar agreed to a $50 million settlement with the plaintiff class, the largest single piece of a group of 26 preliminary-approved settlements totaling roughly $141.8 million.11Reuters. Greystar Agrees to $50 Million Settlement in RealPage Rental Pricing Lawsuit Final approval and the distribution timeline are still to be determined. As of mid-2026 the claims process is not yet open. Renters who want to receive notice when it does open can monitor the official settlement site.12RealPage Rental Settlement. RealPage Rental Settlement
The Servicemember Settlement
In June 2025, the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division resolved a separate case alleging that Greystar violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. The government said the company’s software automatically imposed early lease-termination charges on servicemembers who broke leases due to relocation orders, which federal law prohibits.13DOJ Civil Rights Division. United States v. Greystar Management Services, LLC
Greystar agreed to set aside $1.35 million to compensate affected servicemembers, with triple damages for those who had already paid the charges, and to pay a $77,370 civil penalty. The company also must revise its policies so eligible servicemembers can terminate leases without illegal charges.14WCBD. Charleston-Based Company Agrees to Pay $1.4 Million to Settle Claims of Illegal Early Termination Fees If you were charged an early-termination fee by Greystar after receiving military orders, the DOJ Civil Rights Division’s case page is the starting point for contact information.
The Massachusetts Late-Fee Class Action
In Phoebe Flemming v. Greystar Management Services, L.P., filed in the Eastern Housing Court of Suffolk County, Massachusetts, tenants alleged that Greystar charged late rent fees before rent was 30 days overdue, in violation of the state’s security deposit statute. Greystar denied liability.15Greystar Management Settlement. Flemming v. Greystar Management Services Settlement
The $3 million settlement covers current and former Massachusetts tenants who paid these premature late fees at Greystar-managed properties from December 16, 2012 through the present. You do not need to file a claim. Payments are calculated automatically based on the fees you paid, plus 12 percent annual interest, and are distributed by check. A fairness hearing was scheduled for December 9, 2025, with initial payments expected on or around January 19, 2026. The settlement site, administered by Optime Administration, does not yet confirm whether final approval was granted.15Greystar Management Settlement. Flemming v. Greystar Management Services Settlement
What This Means If You Rent From Greystar
Each of the five settlements works differently for tenants:
- FTC/Colorado hidden-fee case, $24 million: $23 million is set aside for consumer refunds, but no claims process or administrator has been announced.
- Private RealPage class action, $50 million: preliminary approval only; claims not yet open.
- Nine-state AG settlement, $7 million: paid to the states as penalties, no direct renter refunds.
- Servicemember settlement, roughly $1.43 million: eligible servicemembers may receive compensation, including triple damages for those who already paid.
- Flemming late-fee case, $3 million: eligible Massachusetts tenants receive automatic payments; no claim needed.
Greystar has not admitted wrongdoing in any of these actions and continues to manage more than 1.1 million rental units and student beds.16Greystar. Greystar Property Management If you think you qualify under one of the pending settlements, save your lease, rent ledger, and any records of fees paid; those documents are typically what refund administrators ask for when a claims process opens.