FTC chair, Colorado AG pledge to crack down on “abusive and predatory practices” of corporate landlords

The tenant roundtable focused on hidden fees, habitability and rent-setting algorithms accused of driving up the cost of housing

In a roundtable Friday with Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser pledged to work closely with federal investigators to crack down on “abusive and predatory practices” by corporate landlords — a sign that housing may soon become a larger focus for the state’s top enforcer of consumer protection laws.

“We need to get the word out,” Weiser said. “The goal is, if landlords know there will be consequences for them failing to follow the law, they’re going to be more motivated to follow the law.”

Khan and Weiser met with renters and legal advocates at the Community Economic Defense Project at their North Capitol Hill office in Denver, where tenants shared stories of rising rental fees, deteriorating living conditions and feelings of helplessness when they had nowhere to turn for assistance.

“A big pain point that we’ve been hearing about for some time now is potentially abusive practices in the housing market, especially for renters,” Khan said at the event.

In her remarks, Khan focused on two areas as top concerns for the FTC: hidden fees and computer algorithms that landlords now use to screen tenants and set the price of rent.