Housing and Corporate Landlords

The Federal Trade Commission says it will send $47.2 million in refunds to 444,131 tenants of Invitation Homes, the nation’s largest single-family home leasing company, after alleging the Dallas-based landlord deceived renters with undisclosed junk fees and unfair security-deposit practices. The payments, averaging about $106, will go to consumers who paid at least $45 in covered fees between January 2021 and September 2024, with checks to be mailed and valid for 90 days. In a 2024 lawsuit, the FTC accused Invitation Homes of advertising rents without disclosing mandatory fees that could add up to roughly $1,700 a year, collecting more than $18 million in application fees tied to deceptively priced rentals, charging tenants for normal wear-and-tear, and billing them for preexisting damage. Under the settlement, the company must clearly disclose full leasing costs, change how it handles security deposits, and amend other rental practices, though it did not immediately comment on the deal. The case fits into a broader federal crackdown on 'junk fees' in housing and other consumer markets, and it underscores mounting public anger over corporate landlords that aggressively monetize fees in already tight rental markets.