What is YieldStar, the controversial AI rental pricing software?

YieldStar is a controversial software that recommends rent prices to landlords.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against RealPage in August .

Critics say the algorithm is perpetuating anti-competitive behaviour among landlords and driving up prices for tenants.

RealPage said it leverages real-time lease-transaction data in order to respond to changes in supply and demand.

YieldStar isn’t just limited to the United States — it’s being used in Canada , too.

If just one or two landlords are using it, the software won't have a major impact on the market.

GWL Realty Advisors Residential Inc. ( GWLRA ), a property management company that is a division of The Canada Life Assurance Co. , used it for years .

Tenants Union has created a database listing 100,000 units across Canada operated by landlords that their research suggests are likely using YieldStar .

The Canadian Competition Bureau announced in July that it would be advancing an investigation into Kalibrate Canada , a subsidiary of a fuel and convenience retail analytics company, to determine whether its products have an adverse impact on competition between gas stations.