DOJ files proposed settlement with Willow Bridge over algorithmic pricing
Landlords using shared data and pricing algorithms face DOJ antitrust exposure; Willow Bridge would be bound to consent-decree limits once the court enters judgment
Change
On 6 July 2026, the Justice Department's Antitrust Division filed a proposed consent decree in the Middle District of North Carolina settling claims that Willow Bridge used competitors' competitively sensitive data and algorithmic coordination to set rents; the settlement enters a 60-day Tunney Act public comment period before the court may enter final judgment.
Why it matters
The proposed consent decree continues the DOJ's RealPage-linked enforcement line, following earlier proposed settlements against RealPage, Cortland, Greystar and LivCor. Tunney Act publication opens a 60-day comment window, after which the court can enter final judgment imposing enforceable limits on Willow Bridge's use of algorithmic pricing and sharing of competitors' competitively sensitive data. The action signals the Antitrust Division's continued pursuit of landlords that use shared data and common pricing algorithms to align rents.
Implications
- — Willow Bridge legal and compliance teams must be ready to implement the consent-decree obligations on entry of final judgment — the specific limits on data-sharing and algorithmic pricing are set out in the Proposed Final Judgment, and failure to comply once entered exposes the company to court enforcement.
- — Pricing and compliance teams at landlords and property managers using RealPage-style pricing software must review whether they share competitively sensitive data or rely on algorithms that align pricing across competitors — the DOJ's repeated settlements in this action establish that such conduct draws antitrust enforcement, independent of any single company's decree.
Who is affected
- — Willow Bridge legal and compliance teams
- — Pricing and compliance teams at landlords and property managers using algorithmic pricing software
What to watch
- — 60 days after Federal Register publication — close of the Tunney Act public comment period, after which the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina may enter the final consent decree binding Willow Bridge.