The Federal Trade Commission has reached a settlement with the real estate listing companies Zillow and Redfin over antitrust concerns. According to Eyewitness News, the agreement brings to a close a dispute centered on how the two firms operated in the market for advertising apartments.
The deal resolves an earlier claim that Zillow and Redfin worked together to reduce competition in the apartment advertising business. That accusation, of two large players cooperating in a way that limited competition, sat at the heart of the case the settlement now closes.
The legal pressure on the companies had come from state officials as well. In October 2025, New York Attorney General Letitia James, together with four other attorneys general, sued Zillow and Redfin over their conduct in the apartment advertising market.
At the core of that lawsuit was a 100 million dollar deal between Zillow and Redfin. The attorneys general said the arrangement harmed building managers, triggered higher prices for renters and led to fewer listings, tying the companies' cooperation directly to the costs and choices facing people looking for apartments.
The settlement is aimed at undoing those effects. Under its terms, Zillow and Redfin must resume competing as they did before, restoring the rivalry between the two firms that the officials said had been reduced by their deal.
Taken together, the case links a corporate agreement between two well-known listing companies to the everyday business of renting a home. With the FTC settlement in place and the earlier claim resolved, the requirement that the companies compete again is the central outcome for the apartment advertising market at the heart of the dispute.