Attorney General Phil Weiser, FTC announce $24M settlement with Greystar for misleading renters about costs, saddling tenants with hidden fees

Dec. 2, 2025 (DENVER) — Attorney General Phil Weiser today announced a settlement with corporate landlord giant Greystar for using deceptive advertising to lure renters into applying for rental housing and then leaving those tenants on the hook for millions of dollars in mandatory, fixed fees not included in the advertised price for an apartment.

“Addressing deceptive and hidden fees that trick consumers out of their hard-earned dollars is a top priority for our department,” said Weiser. “In this case, we took action against Greystar for doing just that and have held them accountable for their conduct which jacked up rents. Other landlords are on notice that cheating tenants won’t be tolerated in Colorado.”

In January this year, Colorado and the Federal Trade Commission sued Greystar after an investigation by the FTC’s Consumer Protection Bureau uncovered Greystar’s deceptive pricing of rental housing in Colorado and other states since 2019. After attracting prospective tenants with deceptively low rental prices, Greystar failed to adequately disclose mandatory recurring fees charged to tenants for things such as pest control, valet trash service, package concierge service, utility administration fees, and certain amenities. The prospective tenant often could not see the actual fees or the total amount they were required to pay until they received the lease and usually after they paid a non-refundable application fee.

The settlement requires Greystar to disclose upfront the total monthly leasing price and to clearly and conspicuously disclose all fees or costs, the nature and purpose of the fee or cost, the amount of the fee or cost, and whether the fee or cost is mandatory. In addition, Greystar is prohibited from requiring tenants to make an initial payment or deposit without disclosing all pricing information upfront. Protections for consumer information are included in the settlement, as well as compliance reporting and recordkeeping requirements for the company.

The state of Colorado will receive $1 million in monetary relief to be held by the attorney general and used for reimbursement of actual costs and attorneys’ fees, future consumer protection or antitrust enforcement, consumer education, or public welfare purposes. The FTC will receive $23 million for nationwide relief including in Colorado.

Today’s settlement is separate from an antitrust lawsuit Attorney General Weiser joined earlier this year alleging that some of the nation’s largest landlords, including Greystar, use RealPage software to engage in algorithmic pricing schemes that hike rents for tenants. The attorney general reached settlements with Cortland and Greystar restricting the use of rent-setting algorithms and data-sharing platforms.

Read the settlement with Greystar (PDF).

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Media Contact:
Lawrence Pacheco
Chief Communications Officer
(720) 508-6553 office
lawrence.pacheco@coag.gov