![]() A disabled person or low-income family can spend years on the Section 8 waiting list. According to the complaint, the defendants’ conduct harms those consumers in another way, too. Anyone who pays a subscription fee for a service that doesn’t deliver as promised experiences financial injury, but it takes a particular bite out of the budget of low-income consumers who qualify for Section 8. In addition, the FTC alleges that many listings on don’t actually accept Section 8 vouchers. Consumers and property managers report that apartments featured on the defendants’ sites had been rented months – or even years – earlier. ![]() Somebody just signed a lease this morning” near-misses. And we’re not talking about “Gosh darn it. Among other things, they reported that units on the site weren’t really for rent. Hundreds of consumers and property managers have complained directly to the defendants and through groups like the BBB. But billed itself as “the Nation’s Largest Section 8 Apartment Finder” and “one the most up-to-date sites” for rentals that are “already set up to accept the vouchers.” Why buy a subscription to ? Because unlike sites that include “old listings that have long since been rented,” claims to offer “thousands of updated and verified listings including exclusive listings not found on free websites.”īut according to the FTC, the defendants’ sites are rife with inaccurate or unavailable listings. Unlike “free sites or yellow pages that just lists the community that might not have a vacancy,” describes itself as “a reputable rental site” that gets information “directly from landlords and management companies,” “verif the availability of the properties,” and then “updates its search engine on a daily and hourly basis.”įor elderly and disabled consumers and very low-income families who qualify for Section 8 housing assistance, available units can be particularly hard to find. The company uses “phone and email verification to remove rented listings and verify price changes as well as post new rentals hourly as they become available.”į echoes those accuracy claims, putting a particular emphasis on the quality of its listings. For consumers who pay weekly or monthly subscription fees, the defendants promise accurate listings for available units.įor example, claims its “unique, date-sensitive, rental software updates the listings on a daily basis, so that the data you receive from us is the most accurate and up-to-date information available on the Web today.” Touting “Real-Time Vacant rental listings,” the site purports to feature “over 1,000,000 hourly updated ads” and “over 15,000 exclusive vacant and upcoming listings, giving you the advantage to find the apartment or home of your choice in 3-5 days.” No need to worry about outdated information, the site assures prospective tenants. Steven Shayan, Kevin Shayan, and affiliated companies run, , and. About the FTC Show/hide About the FTC menu itemsĪs the song goes, “A house is not a home.” And as alleged in an FTC lawsuit against the operators of rental listing websites, sometimes an apartment isn’t an apartment.News and Events Show/hide News and Events menu items.Advice and Guidance Show/hide Advice and Guidance menu items.Competition and Consumer Protection Guidance Documents.Enforcement Show/hide Enforcement menu items.
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