Housing rental terms: algorithmic devices.

Senator Pérez's legislation targeting algorithmic rental pricing would prohibit landlords from using software that processes nonpublic competitor data to set residential rental terms. The bill bars selling or providing rental pricing algorithms intended for use by multiple landlords in the same market, as well as adopting rental terms based on algorithmic recommendations that incorporate nonpublic data from other properties.

The measure establishes enforcement mechanisms through both public and private actions. The Attorney General, city attorneys, and county counsel could pursue civil penalties up to $1,000 per violation, along with damages, injunctive relief, and restitution. Individual tenants harmed by prohibited algorithmic pricing practices could also file suits seeking similar remedies, with provisions ensuring their ability to recover attorney fees. Each month of continued violation and each affected residential property would constitute separate violations under the law.

The bill defines key terms and exemptions, clarifying that publicly available rental data, government records, census information, and certain aggregated market reports fall outside the restrictions. It preserves landlords' ability to use rental data that is more than one year old or drawn from multiple listing services. The measure specifies that its prohibitions supplement rather than replace existing state and federal antitrust laws, with remedies cumulative to those available through other legal channels.