The Federal Trade Commission has announced that it has reached a settlement with the country’s largest landlord of single-family homes – Invitation Homes.
The company has rental homes across the metro and has been the subject of several Channel 2 Action News investigations.
The FTC said it reached an agreement with the company for $48 million for “deceiving renters about lease costs, charging undisclosed junk fees, failing to inspect homes before residents moved in, and unfairly withholding tenants’ security deposits when they moved out.”
The money will be used to refund customers harmed by the company’s actions.
One of those customers is Brandon Womack. He had to live without air conditioning for several months over the hot summer. He said he called the management company to take care of the issue.
“For two months, it was ‘it’s fixed, it’s good to go.’ Then they would leave, and within 24 hours, we were calling them out again,” Womack said.
Instead of relief, the family dealt with 80-92-degree temperatures inside their home.