| How are the forces being undersold here? A large-scale property management company can drastically influence the market without needing to fully capture it or even hold a majority. Let's say of a given market, 30% of all units are owned by a large-scale property management company using this software. If the prices of the 30% of those properties was artificially kept high, it would push renters to look at the 70% of other landlords whose prices were kept low as a result of not using this software, causing a demand on that part of the market. As demand rises in the 70% of open-market-priced apartments, I would expect these property owners to see that there's a bump in demand and would understandably see this as an opportunity to nudge prices up a bit. If your property only received 10 potential tenant candidates a month a year ago, and you're now seeing 14-15, you might be leaving money on the table. Removing the cartel claim for a moment: Say I'm at a farmers market with 4 produce stands. If one stand hikes their prices 40% for whatever reason, presumably people would start to consider visiting the other 3 produce stands. Why wouldn't the other stands consider raising their prices with the increased attention? |