Arizona Housing Crisis an Inside Job? Here’s What We Know

Housing is one of the essential necessities to function in modern society. We work to afford a home we can settle down in, but with a lower income or in metropolitan areas residents are more inclined to rent an apartment.

Most of these are owned by residential landlords, who manage and decide prices for each individual complex. What happens when the power goes to their head?

Price Fixing

Price Fixing is when a business or corporation unfairly raises prices, especially when the demand for those goods is at an all-time high. This practice is extremely prevalent in the housing industry, bumping rent up while most cannot afford a place of their own.

This practice has effectively created a housing crisis across the United States, pushing residents out of their leases and refusing to lower prices for new residents to move in.

This has become a massive issue in Arizona, as we see people move out of state or end up unhoused because they simply cannot afford rent anywhere in the state.

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Arizona v. RealPage Inc.

As it turns out, this can all be traced back to one company. RealPage Inc. is a software management company that provides systems to complex landlords across the state. The company, along with nine residential apartment landlords, is being sued by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes for allegedly unfairly raising prices and conspiring to eliminate any valid competitors.

Through their investigation, the AD's office discovered that 70% of the apartments in Phoenix are owned by one of the companies involved in the conspiracy. If this information checks out, it is a horrifying look at how these landlords essentially control these cities. By limiting who moves in and out, they have a say in what the city will become.

This is the first step in popping the ever-inflating housing bubble and could start a movement to pass legislation for housing regulation. Regardless of what happens, this is a great first step and shows these corporations that we won't back down anymore.