Rent-setting software could not be sold to landlords under a new state ban

What it does

The bill would make it illegal to sell algorithmic device services or products for the purpose of setting or recommending the rent a landlord charges a tenant for residential premises. It would also bar a person who provides those tools from using nonpublic competitor data, such as actual rent prices, occupancy rates, and lease start and end dates from other landlords, in algorithmic calculations. Tools could still rely on data made public in an aggregated and anonymous way, like a range of average rents for a zip code, neighborhood, geographical radius, or other submarket. A violation would be a deceptive trade practice under state law, and monthly trade association reports and products used to set rent or income limits under affordable housing program guidelines would be excluded.