Rep. Barragán Demands Answers from FTC on Zillow-Redfin Settlement, Calls for Accountability to Protect Renters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 19, 2026

Contact: [email protected]

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Rep. Nanette Barragán (CA-44) called on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to provide answers about its August 2026 settlement with Zillow and Redfin, raising concerns about whether the agreement will restore competition in the online rental advertising market and help lower costs for renters.

In a letter to FTC Chairman Ferguson, Rep. Barragán requested information about the Commission's oversight of the settlement, including how it will ensure Redfin reenters the Internet Listing Services (ILS) rental advertising market as a meaningful competitor and how it will measure whether the agreement benefits renters and property managers.

The FTC's settlement addresses a 2025 agreement under which Redfin shut down its ILS rental advertising business. The Commission alleged that the agreement eliminated an important competitor, potentially leading to higher prices and worse terms for property managers while reducing competition for renters.

The stakes are high: Zillow, CoStar, and Redfin collectively account for more than 85 percent of revenue earned by national rental listing sites, while 88 percent of rental advertisers rely on these platforms. Meanwhile, a record 22.7 million renter households spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing.

"Renters are already struggling with the high cost of housing, and we cannot afford to let anticompetitive corporate agreements make the problem worse," said Rep. Barragán. "The FTC must ensure this settlement does more than put promises on paper. We need real accountability, meaningful competition, and clear evidence that property managers and renters are benefiting."

The settlement requires Redfin to restart its ILS rental advertising business within six months after the final order is entered, invest millions of dollars in the business, hire dedicated personnel, and operate the business for multiple years. It also imposes obligations on Zillow intended to facilitate Redfin's return to the market and protect customers' ability to contract with Redfin.

However, Zillow has publicly stated that its syndication partnership with Redfin will continue unchanged, raising questions about how the FTC will ensure Redfin can operate as an independent competitor while maintaining that relationship.

Rep. Barragán's letter seeks answers on 11 areas of oversight, including:

• Settlement status and deadlines: Whether the court has entered the final order and when Redfin's six-month relaunch deadline begins.
• Compliance and enforcement: What documentation the FTC requires, how it will monitor compliance, and what penalties or other remedies are available if the companies fail to meet their obligations.
• Meaningful competition: How the FTC will evaluate Redfin's ability to attract customers, secure listings, compete for advertising contracts, rebuild its sales operations, and operate independently of Zillow.
• Consumer and market impacts: Whether the FTC will track advertising prices, fees paid by property managers, market share, and other indicators of whether competition is improving.
• Corporate accountability: How the Commission will enforce protections for customer contracts and employee recruitment and review future agreements that could restrict competition.

The letter also requests copies of Redfin's compliance reports and other information that can legally be shared with Congress. If those materials cannot be provided, Rep. Barragán requests a briefing on the FTC's assessment of the companies' compliance and its ongoing monitoring efforts.

Rep. Barragán requested a response from the Commission by December 1, 2026.

The following Members of Congress have signed onto the letter: Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14), Rep. Yvette Clarke (NY-9), Rep. Yassamin Ansari (AZ-3), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Rep. Adelita Grijalva (AZ-7), and Rep. Greg Stanton (AZ-4).

The full text of the letter can be found HERE.

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