The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has reached a settlement with Zillow and Redfin to resolve the regulator’s claim that the companies made an illegal deal to suppress competition in online rental advertising.
The FTC said Monday that it filed a proposed order with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. It essentially requires Redfin to restart its standalone rental housing listings business, which the commission says will restore competition in the market for rental property listings. The settlement also resolves litigation brought by state attorneys general in Arizona, Connecticut, New York, Virginia and Washington.
鈥淭his settlement delivers better, quicker, more certain results for both renters and property management companies than we would have been able to achieve after prevailing at trial, including firm and enforceable commitments by Redfin to relaunch its rentals advertising business,鈥� Daniel Guarnera, director of the FTC鈥檚 Bureau of Competition, said in a statement.
In its , the FTC claimed that in exchange for $100 million and other compensation from Zillow, Redfin had agreed to shut down its internet listings and exclusively repost Zillow’s apartment listings, transition its customers to Zillow and stay out of the apartment listings market for up to nine years.
The commission argued that the companies鈥� February 2025 pact violated federal antitrust laws and could reduce incentives for competition, leading to higher prices and fewer choices for multifamily rental advertising customers.
Zillow and Redfin said their agreement was not anticompetitive and benefited renters and property managers alike.
The FTC鈥檚 proposed order requires Redfin to restart its rental listings business and hire enough staff to maintain it within six months of the order being finalized, or face financial penalties. The FTC said Redfin fired hundreds of employees shortly after announcing its deal with Zillow.
And while Redfin will continue to syndicate Zillow鈥檚 listings, it will be free to seek out and advertise non-Zillow listings, according to the FTC.
In a statement Monday, Seattle-based Zillow said it 鈥渉as consistently maintained the partnership with Redfin is pro-consumer and procompetitive, and we鈥檙e pleased to have found a resolution that enables its continuation.鈥�
A spokesperson for Redfin, which was acquired by last year, said Monday that the agreement 鈥渁llows us to maintain our rental partnership with Zillow through at least 2030 while building and investing in a standalone rentals business of our own.鈥�
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
