FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 20, 2026
Contact: comms@ncdoj.gov
919-538-2809
RALEIGH – Attorney General Jeff Jackson and a bipartisan group of attorneys general are urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to ban hidden and surprise fees that drive up rent costs for North Carolinians.
“So much of people’s money goes to paying rent, and renters need to know upfront how much they’ll be paying each month,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “The FTC should ban hidden rental fees so renters aren’t surprised by unexpected costs they didn’t budget for.”
In March, the FTC, a federal agency that enforces consumer protection and antitrust laws, asked for public input about whether a rule is needed to protect renters from unfair or deceptive fees that drive up the cost of their rent. Attorney General Jackson, along with 26 other attorneys general, recommend that the FTC require landlords to disclose the total rental cost in all advertisements and listings, prohibit deceptive fee practices, and establish a minimum federal standard that promotes transparency and fair competition.
The cost of rent is rising in North Carolina. Between 2020 and 2024, roughly 40 percent of North Carolina renters spent at least 35 percent of their income on housing. That’s up from 38.4 percent of renters between 2015 and 2019.
When landlords hide the true cost of rent and trap renters into paying more than they expected, it makes the problem worse, and it puts honest landlords at a disadvantage.
For example, many renters have been tricked into paying higher rents with “bait-and-switch” tactics. Landlords or companies advertise a rent that seems low, then reveal mandatory fees or charges late in the process of applying for a home or after the tenant has already moved in. These tactics also undermine competition because they give dishonest landlords an advantage over landlords who are upfront about the true cost of rent.
Attorney General Jackson has previously fought to ensure North Carolinians pay a fair price for rent. He reached settlements with the two largest landlords, Greystar Management LLC and Cortland Management LLC, regarding their use of RealPage, an AI software product that allows landlords to share non-public information in order to raise rents. Both companies agreed to stop sharing non-public data to such products. These settlements are part of a broader lawsuit Attorney General Jackson brought against four other landlords and RealPage itself that is ongoing.
Attorney General Jackson also helped secure refunds for 161 tenants after complaints alleged that the real estate company FirstKey Homes mistakenly required tenants to transfer utilities into their own names, which led to them being charged additional fees.
Attorney General Jackson is joined in signing onto the comment letter to the FTC by Attorneys General of New Jersey, Tennessee, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin, as well as the Executive Director of the Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection.
A copy of the letter can be found here.
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