Lawsuit Alleges Greystar Profited from National Housing Crisis Through Junk Fees, Filed by Varnell & Warwick PA, Tycko & Zavareei LLP, and Cutter Law P.C.

SAN DIEGO, April 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, plaintiffs filed a class action lawsuit against Greystar, the largest residential property management company in the United States. The suit alleges that Greystar engages in unfair and deceptive practices by imposing unlawful and excessive fees on a wide variety of services, including essential services such as trash and pest control that are actually part of the tenants' rent.

According to the lawsuit, these fees are "junk fees" that Greystar uses to boost its own profits at the expense of renters who were unaware of these fees until after they paid costly application fees and toured the apartments. Greystar's Junk Fees frequently exceed $500 per tenant per year, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in unlawful profits for Greystar each year.

"Nobody should have their desire to place a roof over their head used as a tool to extort illegal and unnecessary fees. It is essential that renters have the opportunity to stand-up against these unlawful practices," said Jeffrey Newsome, one of the attorneys who brought the lawsuit against Greystar.

The class action lawsuit seeks to represent all Californians who were charged a mandatory fee by Greystar that exceeded the advertised rental rate within the last six years. Plaintiffs state that Greystar's practices violate the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act, the California Honest Pricing Act, California's False Advertising Law, and California's Unfair Competition Law, among other laws.

"The bottom line is that what Greystar is doing is not just deceptive, unfair, and predatory, it's also illegal," said Wesley M. Griffith, another of the attorneys involved.

A 2024 estimate from the White House found that Junk Fees cost Americans over $90 billion each year.

"We are committed to doing everything we can to secure much-needed relief for clients across the state who ended up on the wrong end of Greystar's deceptive money-making scheme," said Peter Silva, co-counsel for the plaintiffs.

Consumer advocacy attorneys Jeffrey Newsome of Varnell & Warwick PA; Peter Silva and David McGee of Tycko & Zavareei LLP; and Wesley M. Griffith of Cutter Law P.C. represent plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

The case is Wu vs.  Greystar Real Estate Partners, LLC, United States District Court for the Southern District of California Case No. 25-cv-1090

CONTACT: Garrett Syke, [email protected]

SOURCE Cutter Law, P.C.