Montgomery County Council member Will Jawando introduced a bill that’s designed to prevent price fixing through the use of algorithmic pricing among landlords.
At Tuesday’s Montgomery County Council meeting, Jawando told his colleagues he’d heard from constituents who found the process of pricing apartments challenging.
In one case, Jawando said a constituent was told that the price on an apartment changed every day.
“What does this mean for residents? It means higher rents,” Jawando said “It means lack of competition, and it leads to higher costs for our residents.”
Bill 8-26 would ban the use of algorithmic devices to set rents or rental agreements in the county, as well as prohibit coordinated price-setting by landlords. It would also provide for enforcement mechanisms in the county.
A similar measure backed by Maryland state delegates Julie Palakovich Carr and Vaughn Stewart is being considered in Annapolis.
A hearing on Jawando’s bill is scheduled for March 10.