I think if you read into the details you wouldn’t make such an obviously naive argument.
The services provided by companies like realpage remove the ability to negotiate.
More importantly, they explicitly manipulate supply coming into the market by removing competition.
Take this example: a lease renewal offer is made available, the price is actually higher if the termination date corresponds to relatively high levels of expected supply influx within the existing property (assuming multiple units) AND across other properties in the same geographic area using realpage or its ilk.
This allows landlords to theoretically offload the collusion onto companies like realpage, for a price.
In a properly functioning market, price discovery is a function of the market, not artificial control exerted by a centralized power with one-sided incentives.
And I can undercut those using the service to attract more tenants.
It's still a properly functioning market. Same forces to get tenants vs what tenants will pay.
Your arguments apply to nearly every single function one business offloads to another. However that merging of skill has resulted in lower costs, since every vendor doesn't have to pay to gather info from scratch, and can focus on specific value add.
Next you'll tell me landlords shouldnt be allowed to use credit reports, since that largely affects price or denials. And that will simply add cost as risk gets pushed back onto consumers.
This is no different than lots of existing services, such as credit reports.
The services provided by companies like realpage remove the ability to negotiate.
More importantly, they explicitly manipulate supply coming into the market by removing competition.
Take this example: a lease renewal offer is made available, the price is actually higher if the termination date corresponds to relatively high levels of expected supply influx within the existing property (assuming multiple units) AND across other properties in the same geographic area using realpage or its ilk.
This allows landlords to theoretically offload the collusion onto companies like realpage, for a price.
In a properly functioning market, price discovery is a function of the market, not artificial control exerted by a centralized power with one-sided incentives.