View or download a PDF of the letter here.
Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund (AFREF) submitted a comment letter urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate a strong rule to address junk fees in rental housing. Rental junk fees are unfair and deceptive practices that charge tenants additional, unexpected, and indefensible costs on top of their agreed-upon rent. Specifically, AFREF urges the FTC to adopt a rule on unfair or deceptive rental housing fees that 1) requires the full, transparent disclosure of all tenant fees prior to lease signing; 2) requires landlords to include all mandatory monthly fees within the agreed-upon rental payment; 3) requires that landlords do not charge tenants inflated costs for services beyond their market value; and 4) require that tenants must be able to easily opt out of optional services.