Tenant groups call for scrutiny of American software company after U.S. lawsuits alleging rent collusion

Canadian tenants are pushing for greater scrutiny of an American property management software company that faces a U.S. federal government price-fixing investigation while it continues to be used by landlords in this country.

At issue is a suite of software tools known as “revenue optimization and management” used by corporate landlords to provide recommendations on how much to raise rents. One of the most popular options is known as YieldStar, owned by RealPage Inc., a name that’s familiar to some Canadian renters.

Rents across Canada have been on a rapid march upward for the past five years according to data from Statistics Canada and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, with some markets outpacing inflation in the rest of the economy. A shortage of housing is often cited as a main cause, but tenant groups have argued insatiable demands for profits are also driving up rents.