US renters call for action to combat surge of ‘take it or leave it’ apartment fees

Tenants push for tougher rules against unfair add-on charges. Industry players argue against policies that they say could limit the ‘effective use of fees’

• ‘Extremely overwhelmed’: apartment renters face rising tide of fees

Across the US, many renters are calling for national action to stem add-on charges that spike their housing costs and increase their risk of eviction.

“The rental housing market is one where consumers have little power,” Farah Momin, a renter in Seattle, told the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in April. “Landlords can impose fees through take-it-or-leave-it lease terms, and the cost/disruption of moving means that tenants may absorb unfair charges rather than leave. Federal baseline protections are needed to level this playing field.”