Many large property owners use rent-pricing software to figure out what to charge their tenants. Amy Scott: And how has that contributed to higher rents in some markets, according to your findings?Vogell: Well, what critics are saying — and some legal experts — is that this process of this algorithm allows competitors to essentially all raise their prices at the same time, which inflates prices in the market above where they would be otherwise, and that there is actual coordination that’s happening between the landlords via this algorithm. As part of a nonprofit newsroom, we’re counting on listeners like you to keep this public service paywall-free and available to all