Residential

  • May 21, 2026

    Justices Adopt Broad Reading Of Cuba Expropriation Law

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday adopted a broad view of a federal law allowing U.S. victims of property seizures by the Cuban government to seek damages, vacating an Eleventh Circuit opinion that overturned a $440 million judgment against several cruise companies for trafficking in property seized by the Cuban government.

  • May 21, 2026

    AvalonBay, Equity Residential Agree To $69B Merger

    Equity Residential and AvalonBay Communities Inc. have agreed to a merger that will create a residential property giant with an approximately $52 billion market capitalization and $69 billion enterprise value.

  • May 20, 2026

    House Passes Broad Housing Bill, But Senate Accord Unclear

    The U.S. House of Representatives voted 396-13 to pass a landmark housing bill on Wednesday, but questions remain about how the Senate will react to the latest version, particularly its handling of institutional investors in the single-family housing market.

  • May 20, 2026

    NYC Real Estate Resigned To Pared-Down COPA

    A newly revised and more narrowly tailored version of a New York City bill, if passed, would give approved nonprofits a chance to buy distressed buildings, but real estate attorneys say the bill would still interfere with private property rights.

  • May 20, 2026

    NC Voters To Weigh Income, Property Tax Limits

    North Carolina voters will decide in November on two proposed constitutional amendments aimed at curbing their income and property taxes after the state General Assembly approved sending the measures to the ballot Wednesday.

  • May 20, 2026

    Development Boom Gives West Palm Beach Chance To Shine

    As South Florida emerges as one of the places where people from around the world most desire to live, work and play, the most dramatic transformation is taking place not in the spotlight of Miami, but up the coast in West Palm Beach.

  • May 20, 2026

    NC Tenants Fight For $9.5M Asset Freeze In Landlord Row

    A class of tenants at a multifamily property in Durham, North Carolina, urged a state appellate court to uphold an order barring their landlord from transferring proceeds from the possible sale of the property out of state, while they litigate a $9.5 million suit over conditions at the property.

  • May 20, 2026

    Lendlease Wants NC Military Housing Suit Tossed

    Lendlease Americas Inc. pushed for dismissal of a suit filed by U.S. military families who accused it and other companies of running uninhabitable homes on North Carolina's Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, arguing in North Carolina federal court that the plaintiffs are mistaken about the company's arguments for dismissal.

  • May 20, 2026

    DLA Piper Reps Harrison Street's $910M Student Housing Sale

    Harrison Street Asset Management, advised by DLA Piper LLP, has sold a 12-property portfolio of student housing communities for $910 million to a joint venture formed by Scion Group and Ares Management Corp., the companies said Wednesday.

  • May 20, 2026

    Atlanta Law Firm Beats Attempt To Revive RE Malpractice Suit

    The Georgia Court of Appeals rejected an attempt to revive a malpractice suit filed against an Atlanta-based law firm for allegedly shoddy work on a title search in connection with a real estate property purchase, saying Wednesday the suit came too late.

  • May 20, 2026

    Utah Condo Builder Says Insurer Stalled Water Damage Claim

    The general contractor for a high-end condo project in Utah has told a federal court its insurer breached its contract when it failed to promptly investigate and adjust more than $1.2 million in claims for property damage caused by water intrusions.

  • May 20, 2026

    Mass. Justices Say Tax Law Not Basis To Block Bog Sale

    A Massachusetts law that lowers property tax rates on agricultural land does not grant standing to abutters seeking to unwind the sale of a Cape Cod cranberry bog to a developer, the state's highest court said Wednesday.

  • May 20, 2026

    Builder Not Covered In Home Construction Fight, Insurer Says

    A builder accused of causing significant delays and increased costs during the construction of a custom home in North Carolina is not entitled to coverage, the company's insurer told a federal court, saying the underlying suit did not allege bodily injury or property damage.

  • May 20, 2026

    Hong Kong Hikes Transaction Tax For High-End Homes

    Hong Kong lawmakers adopted legislation Wednesday to hike the rate of a tax on residential real estate transactions valued above HK$100 million ($12.7 million).

  • May 19, 2026

    Ex-One Sotheby's Agent Gets 21 Months In $3.7M Condo Theft

    A Florida federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a former One Sotheby's International Realty agent found guilty of stealing $3.7 million in proceeds from the sale of a Miami-area beachfront luxury condo to nearly two years in prison.

  • May 19, 2026

    Hanna Wants 3rd Circ. To Weigh Homebuyers' Antitrust Suit

    Hanna Holdings Inc. urged a Pennsylvania federal court to let the Third Circuit weigh in on the lower court's dismissal orders for a proposed antitrust class action that accuses the real estate brokerage of conspiring with other parties to artificially inflate buyer-broker commission fees.

  • May 19, 2026

    NC Judge OKs DOJ, RealPage Deal In Antitrust Suit

    A North Carolina federal judge signed off on the U.S. Department of Justice's settlement with RealPage, the latest development in a suit alleging landlords coordinated to inflate rental prices via the company's algorithmic pricing software.

  • May 19, 2026

    Pullman & Comley Beats Malpractice Claims In $16M Loan Suit

    A Connecticut state judge has relieved Pullman & Comley LLC of malpractice, negligence, gross negligence, recklessness and fiduciary duty claims in a lender's lawsuit surrounding an allegedly unauthorized $16.2 million loan, ruling that the lender was not the law firm's client and, therefore, did not have standing to bring the claims.

  • May 19, 2026

    NJ Fights AvalonBay's Redo Bid In RealPage Antitrust Suit

    New Jersey is fighting multifamily landlord AvalonBay Communities Inc.'s attempt to escape the state's consumer fraud claim in its rent price-fixing suit against property management software company RealPage Inc. and multiple landlords.

  • May 19, 2026

    Sade Real Estate Lands $128.5M For Houston Luxury Rentals

    Texas-based Sade Real Estate has secured $128.5 million to acquire a luxury apartment community in Houston's River Oaks neighborhood, borrower-side broker Walker & Dunlop has announced.

  • May 19, 2026

    Rocket Mortgage Defends Exit In Homebuyer Antitrust Case

    Rocket Mortgage's parent company is arguing in Michigan federal court that a proposed class failed to show direct injury from an alleged scheme by the company to funnel homebuyers to brokers promoting costlier Rocket-affiliated mortgage services, in a brief supporting its bid to escape the case.

  • May 18, 2026

    CoStar's Apartments.com Sued Over 'Junk' Rent Payment Fee

    Apartments.com illegally inflated tenants' housing costs by charging them hidden "junk transaction fees" on rent payments, according to a Washington woman's proposed nationwide class action removed to a federal court in Tacoma on Friday.

  • May 18, 2026

    Zillow Looks To Stop Compass From 'Conspiring' With MLS

    Zillow asked an Illinois federal court on Monday to stop real estate brokerage Compass from working with a Chicago-area multiple listing service to block access to home listings after Zillow established new rules around private listings on its site.

  • May 18, 2026

    Judge Lauds Wells Fargo Settlement In 'Fake' Diversity Suit

    A California federal judge has given final approval to a deal between Wells Fargo investors and executives in a derivative suit claiming the bank's leadership failed to address the company's discriminatory lending practices and engaged in "fake" interviews with diverse candidates, calling the assistance fund resulting from the settlement "significant."

  • May 18, 2026

    Compass Must Provide Info For Antitrust Defenses, MLS Says

    Northwest Multiple Listing Service has urged a Washington federal court to order real estate brokerage Compass to turn over "critical" discovery needed to defend against Compass' antitrust suit challenging its property listing policies.

Expert Analysis

  • How Cos. Can Roll With NY's New Algorithmic Pricing Rules

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    Despite uncertainty from New York’s new ban on artificial intelligence and computer algorithms for setting rents, and efforts to further restrict individualizing prices based on consumers' personal data, property managers, software providers and merchants can take several steps to stay compliant, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • Navigating A Sea Change In Rent Algorithm Regulation

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's proposed settlement of the RealPage lawsuit represents a pivotal moment in the regulation of algorithmic rent-setting, restraining use of these tools amid a growing trend of regulatory limits on use of algorithmic data and methodologies in establishing housing rental prices. say attorneys at Wilson Elser.

  • The Hidden Pitfalls Of Letters Of Credit In Lease Negotiations

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    Amid a surge in commercial office leasing driven by artificial intelligence firms, it's crucial for landlords to be aware of the potential downside of accepting letters of credit — in particular, for amounts of security that are less than the statutory bankruptcy claim cap, say attorneys at Allen Matkins.

  • Recent Proposals May Spell Supervision Overhaul For Banks

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    A slew of rules recently proposed by the federal banking agencies with approaching comment deadlines would rewrite supervision standards to be further tailored to banks' size and activities, while prioritizing financial risks over process, documentation and other nonfinancial risks, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • Where Things Stand At The CFPB As Funding Dries Up

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is on pace to run out of funding in the new year, threatening current and future rulemaking efforts, but a rapid series of recent actions still carries significant implications for regulated entities and warrants careful monitoring in the remaining weeks of the year, say attorneys at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • Steps For Cos. To Comply With Colo. Deceptive Pricing Law

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    Colorado's newly passed law protecting against deceptive pricing practices will take effect on Jan. 1, broadening the consumer protection framework and standardizing total price disclosure requirements across a variety of industries, and there are several steps businesses can take to comply, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • California Vapor Intrusion Policy Should Focus On Site Risks

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    As California environmental regulators consider whether to change the attenuation factor used in screenings for vapor intrusion, the most prudent path forward is to keep the current value for screening purposes, while using site-specific, risk-based numbers for cleanup and closure targets, says Thierry Montoya at Frost Brown.

  • 'Measure Twice, Cut Once' Also Applies To Builders' Insurance

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    A New York federal court's recent decision in Ohio Security Insurance v. Southwest Marine and General Insurance, denying additional insured coverage, shows why it's key to apply the caution of "measure twice, cut once" to construction contracts and insurance policy language, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • What CFPB Disparate Impact Proposal Means For Lenders

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    Should the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's reasoning for making proposed changes to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act — and the bureau itself — survive, lenders and other participants in the consumer finance industry may see a reduced emphasis on protected characteristics, say attorneys at Saul Ewing.

  • What To Watch As NY LLC Transparency Act Is Stuck In Limbo

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    Just about a month before it's set to take effect, the status of the New York LLC Transparency Act remains murky because of a pending amendment and the lack of recent regulatory attention in New York, but business owners should at least prepare for the possibility of having to comply, says Jonathan Wilson at Buchalter.

  • When Mortgage Data Can't Prove Discriminatory Lending

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    As plaintiffs continue to use Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data as grounds for class actions, attorneys must consider the limits of a statistics-only approach and the need for manual loan file review to confirm indications of potential discriminatory lending, say Abe Chernin, Shane Oka and Kevin Oswald at Cornerstone Research.

  • Ill. State Farm Suit Tests State Insurance Data Demand Limits

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    The Illinois Department of Insurance's recently filed suit against State Farm, seeking nationwide data on its homeowners insurance, raises important issues as to the breadth, and possible overreach, of a state's regulatory authority, says Stephanie Pierce at Kutak Rock.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: November Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses five recent rulings and identifies practice tips from cases involving claims related to oil and gas royalty payments, consumer fraud, life insurance, automobile insurance, and securities violations.