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cogitator_tertius OP t1_its4yyd wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in Rent too damn high? Landlords have formed an illegal cartel according to several reports by cogitator_tertius

A couple points:

  1. We don't have visibility into what the algorithm is designed to do and how it weights variables. So we can't say it is purely supply and demand.
  2. By working together to control pricing like this, these companies are applying levers to the housing market. The free market model only works until someone starts messing with it. Ceteris paribus - all other things being equal - is a key assumption.
  3. I'll just say, if it wasn't sketchy, why hide it?
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maybehomebuyeriguess t1_its5bib wrote

We don't have visibility into a private company's market analysis, therefore it's immoral and definitely illegal.

"The free market only works until someone starts messing with it" you mean like through regulation? Wait, no, by 'messing with the free market' you just mean an aspect of the free market that you don't like.

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