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FBI raids Cortland Management in antitrust probe over alleged rent price-fixing conspiracy.
Citizen Watch Report ^

Posted on 06/04/2024 3:25:06 AM PDT by davikkm

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) conducted an unannounced raid on the Atlanta headquarters of Cortland Management on Wednesday, May 22. This action marks a significant escalation in a criminal antitrust investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) into allegations of a nationwide conspiracy to artificially inflate apartment rents.

(Excerpt) Read more at citizenwatchreport.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government
KEYWORDS: cortlandmanagement; fbi; raids; rent

1 posted on 06/04/2024 3:25:06 AM PDT by davikkm
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To: davikkm

Seems to me the Biden administration stop landlords from kicking out renters during the pandemic who couldn’t pay rent because the Biden administration shutdown work etc, then the landlords still had to pay for their mortgage loans, utilities etc?


2 posted on 06/04/2024 3:35:40 AM PDT by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
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To: davikkm

This reads like a cover story to give the Biden regime a news article making the claim inflation is not the problem, evil capitalists are.

Nowhere in the article does it begin to describe what the actual “scheme” to fix prices was. It just states as almost fact it was happening but showed no evidence for it nor any specific person or group benefiting.

Basically it reads to me like a third party company tracks rent prices across the nation and individual landlords (usually corporatized ones) use their data to set prices accordingly.

Yes this standardizes prices and will likely cause the deflation of prices to be much slower but hardly a scheme to gouge a renter.

In fact an argument could be made it was to protect landlords from legal action by providing a standardized reference to show they are not outside national averages, in the hopes of not incurring just such legal actions as what the DOJ just did!


3 posted on 06/04/2024 3:42:07 AM PDT by Skwor
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To: Skwor

To be clear I did not mean Citizen’s Watch wrote it to help the regime, only that the DOJ did this to get the story out there and have otherwise provided no actual information as to why the raided the company.


4 posted on 06/04/2024 3:44:36 AM PDT by Skwor
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To: davikkm

Fascists move on to another area to exploit. ROI is the governing
issue here. Now if you “fix” prices to ensure a solid ROI in an inflationary environment, the Bidet industrial government uses its hatchet men to come out and get you.


5 posted on 06/04/2024 4:03:15 AM PDT by Mouton (A 150MT hit will not solve our problems now.m)
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To: davikkm

It’s a pure Wesley Mouch move.


6 posted on 06/04/2024 4:03:29 AM PDT by Sirius Lee (They intend to kill us. Plan to avoid this.)
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To: maddog55; davikkm

>
Seems to me the Biden administration stop landlords from kicking out renters during the pandemic who couldn’t pay rent because the Biden administration shutdown work etc, then the landlords still had to pay for their mortgage loans, utilities etc?
>

Clear case of 5th A. (Takings) violations, right? Course, doesn’t help YEARS down the road when one inevitably wins their court, when they’ve taken to the cleaners via mortgage /utililty co., property taxes, insurance, etc.


7 posted on 06/04/2024 4:47:25 AM PDT by i_robot73 (One could not count the number of *solutions*, if only govt followed\enforced the Constitution.)
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To: davikkm

This is Biden’s attempt to fool people into thinking that housing prices are through the roof because of monopolistic companies like Cortland. Not true. It’s a direct result of inflation and supply chain issues all brought on by this administration.


8 posted on 06/04/2024 4:54:22 AM PDT by ProudDeplorable (Concentrated power has always been the enemy of liberty. ~ Ronald Reagan)
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To: davikkm

Hm?....Why do I immediately suspect lawfare?


9 posted on 06/04/2024 5:00:27 AM PDT by wintertime ( Behind every government school teacher stand armed police.( Real bullets in those guns on the hip!))
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To: Skwor

“Basically it reads to me like a third party company tracks rent prices across the nation and individual landlords (usually corporatized ones) use their data to set prices accordingly.”

You are correct. I’m a landlord and I do something similar. Although, all of my renters are long term and, although they’re all on month-to-month I haven’t raised the rent so now they are well below the average. This is because they are all low-end wage slaves and I’m pretty sure none of them have gotten raises.

I was chatting with the manager of the largest local gas station. He said they use a survey firm who surveys the local gas prices three times per day, and he sets the gas price to be a few fractions of a cent lower than the average. Three times per day. Is this a conspiracy to set gas prices? Because the ratio of cigarette, lottery and beer sales is sixteen dollars to one dollar of gas sold the price is critical. Set it too low and they’ll run out and lose the cigarette, lottery and beer sales. Set it too high and those sales will go to a competitor. This is all very similar to the rent “fixing” scheme. You want to attract good renters. Set the price too low and you increase the turnover cost. Set it too high and your units go unrented. That’s hardly a conspiracy.


10 posted on 06/04/2024 5:02:05 AM PDT by Gen.Blather (Wait! I said that out loud? )
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To: ProudDeplorable
What does the FBI expect to find. A recorded video conference like on a Saturday Morning Cartoon episode of The Justice League where the “evil” side is plotting to take over the world.
11 posted on 06/04/2024 6:40:33 AM PDT by midwest_hiker
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To: Skwor

“This reads like a cover story to give the Biden regime a news article making the claim inflation is not the problem, evil capitalists are”

That’s all it is.

“Comrade, the Kulak Pigs are conspiring to starve us all! We should kill them and take their land!”


12 posted on 06/04/2024 8:24:40 AM PDT by Regulator (It's fraud, Jim)
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To: maddog55

Who did Cortland forget to pay off?


13 posted on 06/04/2024 10:27:04 AM PDT by kiryandil (FR Democrat Party operatives! Rally in defense of your Colombian cartel stooge Merchan!)
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To: davikkm

ALWAYS pay The Big Guy.


14 posted on 06/04/2024 10:43:02 AM PDT by Organic Panic (Democrats. Memories as short as Joe Biden's eyes.)
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