Arizona renters can recoup some money they paid apartment firm Greystar for hidden and junk fees from $1.6 million in settlements with the landlord.
Greystar, one of the biggest landlords in the United States, has settled three lawsuits filed by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Trade Commission stemming from allegations the apartment giant charged unexpected costs that led to rent hikes.
Metro Phoenix led the nation for rent increases in 2021-22 when tenant costs skyrocketed almost 40%.
Greystar has agreed to pay $23 million to the Federal Trade Commission, with an expected $1.5 million going to compensate Arizona renters. The settlement also requires the landlord to show tenants required fees and how they affect rent prices.
The other two settlements address Greystar’s liability for “junk fees” charged at two East Valley apartment complexes — The Julia in Mesa and Avana Gilbert — that violated the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act, according to the attorney general. Those agreements include $100,000 for consumer restitution.
“Greystar misled consumers by advertising deceptively low rental prices that omitted a host of mandatory fees, which sometimes amounted to hundreds of extra dollars each month,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said.
Bailey Stone Zaunbrecher, a spokesperson with Greystar, said the apartment firm declined to comment.
Greystar has apartments in metro Phoenix, the Tucson area and Flagstaff.
Hidden and junk fees charged by landlords can include unexpected processing and technology costs applying to rent as well as charges for garbage, parking and other services tenants often think already are part of their rent.
In 2024, the Arizona Attorney General sued Greystar, eight other landlords and software firm RealPage for engaging in a price-fixing operation that it said led to “astronomical” apartment rent hikes in Arizona’s two largest metro areas.
In 2025, the Federal Trade Commission accused Greystar of charging tenants hidden fees for years and making billions of dollars by advertising deceptively low lease rates and then tacking on mandatory costs later.
Which Arizona renters are eligible to receive a payment?
Renters at the two East Valley complexes between Jan. 1, 2023, and Jan. 1, 2026, which are part of the settlements, can file a claim with the attorney general at www.azag.gov/consumer/greystar-claim-form.
Consumers who lived at a property owned or managed by Greystar from 2019 to 2025 may receive restitution funds from FTC settlement funds. Information is available on that settlement on the government agency’s website at www.ftc.gov.
In February 2026, the attorney general agreed to dismiss claims against Weidner Property Management LLC from its 2024 price fixing lawsuit. Weidner agreed to donate $1 million to Arizona nonprofit Wildfire to help the landlord’s former and current tenants.
Besides Greystar and Weidner, landlords named in the 2024 lawsuit include: Apartment Management Consultants, Avenue5 Residential, BH Management Services, Camden Property Trust, Crow Holdings/Trammell Crow Residential, HSL Properties and RPM Living.
When the lawsuit was filed, Mayes said the defendants “tricked tenants into paying more for rent than they otherwise would have, and they did this at a time when inflation had skyrocketed, and Arizona’s affordable housing crisis was among the worst in the nation.”
She said the rent “conspiracy” was going on since at least 2016.
Reporting by Catherine Reagor, Arizona Republic
