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.” Continue reading...

Tracie McMillan · Thu, Jun 25, 2026, 3:00 AM
US news | The Guardian

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.”

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