Renters and property owners will once again have two major platforms competing for apartment listings after regulators challenged a deal between Zillow and Redfin.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, the Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general from four other states reached a settlement Monday requiring the companies to undo an agreement that limited Redfin’s role in multifamily rental advertising.
Under the 2025 deal, Zillow paid Redfin $100 million to shut down its apartment advertising business and move its customers to Zillow. Redfin also agreed to display Zillow listings on its sites and stay out of the market for buildings with 25 or more units for as long as nine years.
The regulators sued the companies in October 2025, arguing the arrangement could mean fewer choices, higher prices and weaker services for renters and property managers. The settlement requires Redfin to rebuild its apartment advertising operation and allows both companies to compete independently again. They are also prohibited from making similar anticompetitive agreements and must collectively pay $2 million to the states and FTC.
The case highlights how competition concerns are extending beyond traditional housing markets into the online platforms that increasingly shape how renters find homes and landlords market them.
