Zillow and Redfin settle FTC antitrust case over rental listings partnership
Zillow and Redfin have reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over an antitrust case concerning their rental listings partnership. The agreement concludes the litigation that alleged violations of competition laws.
Online real estate companies Zillow and Redfin have agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), resolving an antitrust lawsuit. The case centered on a partnership arrangement between the two firms regarding the syndication of rental property listings.
The FTC had alleged that Zillow agreed to pay Redfin for listing its properties, while Redfin would cease its own advertising contracts and refrain from competing with Zillow for multifamily listings. The commission argued this arrangement unfairly restricted competition in the rental market.
Under the terms of the FTC's proposed settlement, Redfin will be permitted to continue syndicating Zillow's rental listings without the anticompetitive restraints present in the original deal. However, the agreement also mandates that Redfin must relaunch its own rental listing advertising business, which it had previously discontinued as part of the partnership.
The settlement aims to restore competition within the rental listing market and ensure broader access to rental property information for consumers.