Good afternoon,
For those who attended our Appleton and Green Bay meetings this week, the discussion around “junk fees” may sound familiar. We addressed the growing activity in this area, much of which stems from the Federal Trade Commission’s request for industry comments beginning in late 2023.
On behalf of our members, AANW/FVAA has formally communicated its position on rental housing fees to the FTC in two separate letters: the first in 2024 and the second in early 2026.
The purpose of this post is to reinforce a message we have shared since 2024: fee transparency should be a priority for every stakeholder involved in rental housing. Rental housing providers should always be willing to evaluate whether we can improve—and, in many cases, we can.
However, many of the proposals emerging from state and local governments have moved forward without broad, meaningful input from housing providers, residents, owners, managers, and other key stakeholders. As we have emphasized in our State of the Industry presentations, poorly crafted legislation at any level of government can create unintended consequences and collateral damage. Measures that are not grounded in root-cause analysis can ultimately harm the very people they were intended to help.
Our position has remained consistent:
- All mandatory costs an applicant must pay to rent a home should be clearly disclosed upfront in the property’s marketing and advertising.
- Optional charges—those based on an applicant’s or resident’s elective choices—should also be disclosed clearly, but they should not be bundled into base rent or presented as mandatory costs.
Clear, accurate, and upfront disclosure benefits everyone. It helps prospective residents make informed housing decisions, supports fair competition among housing providers, and reduces confusion throughout the leasing process.
Here is the link to the article referenced in the subject line:
Seattle 'Junk Fee' Ban...
Apartment Association of Northeast Wisconsin, Inc.
Fox Valley Apartment Association, Inc.
