全美最大独栋租房管理商付4,975万美元和解隐藏费指控：广告租金未含强制费
美国联邦贸易委员会（FTC）11月6日宣布，全美最大的独栋出租住宅管理商Progress Residential及其所有者私募股权公司Pretium Partners将支付4,975万美元，和解FTC与亚利桑那、科罗拉多、印第安纳、犹他四州提出的欺骗性租房定价等指控。FTC称，这是该委员会历史上针对房东的最大一宗执法案件。
Progress由Pretium创立并全资拥有，通过其投资基金在全美17个州拥有并管理超过9万套住宅。诉状指控称，至少自2021年以来，该公司广告中的月租金未包含强制性月费，另收取「智能家居费」「公用事业管理费」以及未充分披露的「未提供租客保险证明费」等一次性与情境费用，许多消费者直到签约、入住后收到首张账单才发现，隐藏费已让消费者损失数千万美元。诉状还指控该公司宣称住宅「可直接入住」且入住前已经检查，实际不少房屋存在严重维修与清洁问题；押金方面，公司承诺只扣除租客造成的超常损坏，实际却例行以正常磨损、入住前既有状况及本应由公司承担的翻修为由扣留部分乃至全部押金，且未按承诺在退租30天内提供逐项扣款清单；合同中的禁止差评条款被指非法限制消费者发表负面评价，客服承诺亦未兑现。诉状同时指出，多数被指控行为发生在前任管理层任内，新管理层已着手整改。
FTC消费者保护局局长克里斯托弗·穆法里奇（Christopher Mufarrige）说：「找房的消费者应能获得关于租房成本的直截了当的信息。租金与费用透明有助于消费者比较选择、作出知情决定，清晰的定价也能让住房提供者凭价格、质量与服务竞争。」两家公司在经媒体转述的声明中表示不承认有不当行为。
拟议和解要求两家公司支付4,975万美元，其中4,850万美元付给FTC用于补偿受害消费者，另125万美元付给亚利桑那州。和解条款还要求：广告须以最显著方式标明包含全部强制性经常费用的「真实月租总价」，不得谎称住宅入住前已经检查；须建立统一的押金扣留标准与退押流程，退租后30天内（或州法更短期限内）提供逐项扣款说明，不得以正常磨损、既有状况或与租客损坏无关的翻修费用扣押金；不得再要求消费者接受标准化的禁止差评条款。FTC委员会以2比0投票授权提起诉讼，诉状与拟议和解令已提交佐治亚州北区联邦地区法院，须经法院批准后生效。
（来源：美国联邦贸易委员会）
Progress Residential and Pretium to Pay $49.75 Million to Settle FTC Hidden-Fee Charges
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on November 6 that Progress Residential, the nation's largest property manager of single-family rental homes, and its owner, the private equity firm Pretium Partners, will pay $49.75 million to settle charges brought by the FTC and the states of Arizona, Colorado, Indiana and Utah over deceptive rental pricing and other unlawful conduct. The FTC said it is the largest enforcement matter against a landlord in the Commission's history.
Progress, founded and wholly owned by Pretium, manages more than 90,000 homes across 17 states owned through Pretium's investment funds. The complaint alleges that since at least 2021 the companies advertised monthly rents that excluded mandatory fees and charged a range of one-time and situational fees — including monthly "smart home" and "utility management" fees and an inadequately disclosed "renter's insurance exemption fee" — that many consumers discovered only in their first monthly bill, costing consumers tens of millions of dollars. It further alleges that homes advertised as "move-in ready" and inspected often had serious maintenance and cleaning problems; that security deposits were routinely withheld for normal wear and tear, preexisting conditions and renovations that were the companies' responsibility, without the promised itemized statement within 30 days of move-out; that form contracts contained nondisparagement clauses unlawfully barring negative reviews; and that customer service promises went unmet. The complaint notes that the majority of the conduct occurred under prior management and that new management has moved to remedy the issues.
"Consumers searching for housing should have access to straightforward information about the costs associated with renting a home," said Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "Transparency regarding rental prices and fees helps consumers compare options and make informed choices." The companies, in a statement reported by the media, denied any wrongdoing.
Under the proposed settlement, $48.5 million will go to the FTC to provide redress to harmed consumers and $1.25 million to the State of Arizona. The order would require the companies to advertise the "true total monthly rental price," inclusive of all mandatory recurring fees, more prominently than any other pricing information; bar claims that homes are inspected before move-in when they are not; require a security deposit refund process with uniform withholding standards and an itemized statement no later than 30 days after move-out; bar deductions for normal wear and tear, preexisting conditions or unrelated capital improvements; and prohibit standardized nondisparagement clauses. The Commission voted 2-0 to authorize the complaint and proposed stipulated order, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia and subject to court approval.
(Source: U.S. Federal Trade Commission)
来源：美国联邦贸易委员会
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：位于华盛顿特区的联邦贸易委员会总部Apex大楼。CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Apex Building, headquarters of the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, D.C. CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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