Equity Residential, Essex Property Trust, and AvalonBay Communities – three of the largest corporate landlords in the United States – have recently delivered a whopping $5.1 million to the California Apartment Association’s Independent Expenditure Committee. …
If Equity Residential and AvalonBay Communities Merge, Will Americans Face a Mega-Predatory Landlord?
Recently, news reports revealed that Equity Residential and AvalonBay Communities, two of the largest corporate landlords in the United States, have started talks about a merger. What journalists didn’t bring up is that Equity and …
The Serious Need for a Unified Rent Control Movement in the US
Last week, Housing Is A Human Right and other housing and homeless organizations from across the United States met in New York City for the National Conference on Rent Control and Tenant Rights. Over the …
The Real Estate Industry Continues to Use the Ellis Act to Destroy Affordable Housing in California
The real estate industry continues to use a little-known state law called the Ellis Act to destroy tens of thousands of affordable housing apartments in California, fueling the housing affordability and homelessness crises. Housing activists …
Essex Property Trust Spent $60.1M to Kill Rent Control and Influence Politicians in California
A Housing Is A Human Right investigation has found that between 2018 and 2025, Essex Property Trust, one of the largest corporate landlords in the United States, shelled out a whopping $60.1 million in campaign …
Zillow’s Chief Economist is Still Right About the Dire Need for More Affordable Housing
Nearly 10 years ago, on July 28, 2016, Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell released a “Zillow analysis” about the kinds of apartments built in America – luxury units compared to affordable. It was a …
Corporate Landlords Delivered Big Cash to Little-Known California Apartment Association Committee in 2025
In 2025, corporate landlords, many of whom are among the largest in the United States, delivered major cash to the California Apartment Association Independent Expenditure. That little-known political committee is used by Big Real Estate …
The Real Dirt: The Shady Dealings of Corporate Landlords and California Apartment Association
The Real Dirt is a monthly column by award-winning advocacy journalist Patrick Range McDonald that exposes the real estate industry’s lies, scams, and other unscrupulous acts, which impact the lives of millions. Many of the largest corporate …
Did Trump and Corporate Landlords Target Planned Parenthood and AIDS Healthcare Foundation?
Last month, a federal judge in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction for Planned Parenthood that stops the Trump administration’s effort to essentially defund that organization. The political and legal issues involved in the Planned Parenthood …
The Real Dirt: California YIMBY and Big Tech Kill Tenant Protections, YIMBY Action Parties Hard, Following Big Real Estate’s Money
The Real Dirt is a monthly column by award-winning advocacy journalist Patrick Range McDonald that exposes the real estate industry’s lies, scams, and other unscrupulous acts, which impact the lives of millions. This month, Housing Is A …