Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee are asking the Pentagon to look into high housing costs for military families, The Hill reported. They specifically want to know if property management site RealPage – which is being sued by several states – allows landlords to take advantage of service members.
“We write with significant concern about whether companies and landlords using RealPage may be price gouging military families,” the lawmakers wrote in a Feb. 3 letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The letter was led by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and signed by 13 of their colleagues.
They noted that in a Government Accountability Office, “[l]ocal government officials… acknowledged the largely insufficient housing supply and issues with affordability.” GAO recommended at the time that DOD develop a list of critical housing areas and suggest ways to address the concerns.
“We seek information that DOD may have on whether algorithms such as those used by RealPage are artificially driving up housing prices for military families, as well as members of the community who do not receive” a basic allowance for housing.
Air Force photo by Todd Maki