Renters in Charlotte are reacting to the news that six landlords have been accused of using artificial intelligence to raise rent prices throughout North Carolina.

The Justice Department has expanded a lawsuit against the real estate software company RealPage, adding six of the biggest landlords and property management companies in the country to the suit and alleging that they coordinated to keep rents artificially high.

Millions of rents across the country may now be set using one company’s algorithmic software, according to a federal lawsuit and a Washington Post analysis.

Greystar, the largest U.S. apartment owner, and Blackstone’s LivCor are among the firms added to the suit.

An amended complaint names six landlords as defendants in ongoing litigation that North Carolina and several other states, along with the federal government, began in August.

Federal prosecutors sued the real estate software company RealPage in August, now they're suing some of the company's biggest customers.

Millions of rents across the country may now be set using one company’s algorithmic software, according to a federal lawsuit and a Washington Post analysis.

The real estate companies kept rents high with RealPage's software and by sharing information, the antitrust complaint says.

The lawsuit arrives as U.S. renters continue to struggle. The latest figures show that half of American renters spent more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities in 2022, an all-time high.