Zillow and Redfin settle FTC antitrust case over their rental listings partnership
The US Federal Trade Commission and Zillow have reached a settlement resolving allegations that a 2025 "partnership" between Zillow and Redfin breached antitrust law. The FTC had claimed Zillow paid Redfin to syndicate its listings while Redfin agreed to wind down its own advertising contracts and refrain from competing with Zillow over multifamily listings, arrangements regulators viewed as anticompetitive. The settlement matters because it reopens competition in the rental listings market rather than leaving the original restrictive deal in place.
Under the agreed terms, Redfin may continue syndicating rental listings from Zillow but without the anticompetitive constraints of the original agreement, and it must also relaunch the rental listings advertising business it had previously shut down as part of the partnership. Daniel Guarnera of the FTC's Bureau of Competition said the outcome delivers faster, more certain benefits for renters and property managers than a trial victory would have. Attorneys general from Arizona, Connecticut, New York, Virginia and Washington also signed off on the deal, which follows a pattern of recent Trump administration settlements in major antitrust cases, including those involving Live Nation-Ticketmaster and RealPage.
- FTC and Zillow settle antitrust case over Redfin rental listings deal
- Redfin must relaunch its own rental listings advertising business
- Five state attorneys general also approved the settlement
New here? Start with this
Housing platform Zillow and its rival Redfin struck an agreement in 2025 under which Zillow would show Redfin's rental listings and pay for the privilege, while Redfin agreed to shut down its own rental advertising business and stay out of Zillow's way on listings for larger apartment buildings. US regulators at the Federal Trade Commission, the government body that polices anticompetitive behaviour by companies, decided this deal broke antitrust law by reducing competition in the online rental listings market, where landlords and property managers pay to advertise available homes.
The FTC took action against Zillow, backed by state attorneys general from Arizona, Connecticut, New York, Virginia and Washington, arguing that renters and property managers would end up with less choice and higher costs if the arrangement stood. Rather than fighting the case through a lengthy trial, the two sides have now agreed a settlement that unwinds the most restrictive parts of the original deal.
This case is one of several recent antitrust settlements reached under the current US administration, alongside disputes involving Live Nation-Ticketmaster and the software firm RealPage, reflecting continued regulatory scrutiny of how digital platforms strike partnerships that could limit competition.