RPM Living, the Austin-based manager of more than 240,000 apartments across 25-plus states, is fighting lawsuits on four main fronts: a California class action over hidden rental fees, mismanagement suits from affordable-housing owners in Georgia and Illinois, a Fort Worth fire case brought by displaced tenants, and the sprawling RealPage algorithmic rent-pricing antitrust litigation, where RPM has agreed to a $7.5 million settlement that still needs court approval. A Texas property owner has also sued the company over management of two Florida buildings. Only the RealPage matter is heading toward a renter claims process, and that process has not yet opened.
California Class Action Over Hidden “Junk Fees”
Two California renters, Joe Escareno and Justin Mansour, filed a class action against RPM Living in San Diego County Superior Court on December 24, 2025. They allege RPM advertises rents lower than what tenants actually pay, then adds mandatory charges for things like pest control and liability insurance that are not disclosed until deep in the application process, or in some cases not until the lease is already in hand.1CaseMine. Escareno v. RPM Living, LLC
Mansour says he paid at least $1,260 in undisclosed fees; Escareno says he paid at least $2,205. The proposed class would cover California residents who rented an RPM-managed apartment through the company’s website during a defined period. The plaintiffs want the fee practices halted and the charges refunded.1CaseMine. Escareno v. RPM Living, LLC
RPM removed the case to federal court in January 2026. On April 16, 2026, U.S. District Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo sent it back to state court, finding RPM had not shown the $75,000 amount-in-controversy threshold. The same order denied RPM’s motion to dismiss and its motion to strike parts of the complaint.2Leagle. Escareno v. RPM Living, LLC The case is active in San Diego County Superior Court. There is no settlement and no claims process; California tenants who believe they were charged undisclosed fees have no fund to file against at this point.
RealPage Rent-Pricing Settlement: Who Can Claim
RPM Living is one of the landlord defendants in In re RealPage, Inc., Rental Software Antitrust Litigation, which alleges landlords conspired to inflate rents by sharing non-public data through RealPage’s algorithmic pricing software. RPM agreed to pay $7.5 million as part of a batch of 14 settlements involving 11 landlord defendants and totaling $218 million. Combined with an earlier round from October 2025, total recoveries in the case now approach $360 million.3Multifamily Dive. RealPage Settlement Algorithmic Pricing
As part of its deal, RPM has agreed to stop feeding non-public data to RealPage’s revenue management system and to stop using the system where it incorporates competitors’ non-public data. The company does not admit fault or liability.3Multifamily Dive. RealPage Settlement Algorithmic Pricing
The settlements are subject to judicial approval. The eligible class includes anyone who paid rent for an apartment owned or managed by the listed defendant companies between October 18, 2018 and November 21, 2025. The claims process has not opened and no filing deadline has been set. Angeion Group LLC will administer claims, and renters can register for updates at the official settlement website.4RealPage Rental Settlement. In re RealPage, Inc., Rental Software Antitrust Litigation – Settlement
Georgia Affordable Housing Suits
Eight Georgia affordable apartment complexes sued RPM Living in Fulton County Superior Court, seeking a combined $34 million, according to reporting by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in April 2025. The complexes, associated with Infinity Real Estate and Infinity Capital Partners, are in DeKalb County, College Park, Macon, Columbus, and several other cities. The suits allege RPM mismanaged investor-owned Section 8 properties and failed to comply with HUD requirements and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit rules, leading to high vacancy rates and properties in disarray.5Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Georgia Section 8 Complexes Sue National Property Manager
The largest individual claim comes from Highlands Atlanta in DeKalb County, which seeks $13.5 million and alleges RPM allowed unhoused people to live in abandoned units, causing $75,000 in damages at that property alone. RPM declined to comment on the specific allegations when contacted by the newspaper.5Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Georgia Section 8 Complexes Sue National Property Manager
Illinois Suits by the Same Ownership Group
Infinity Real Estate Advisors, led by CEO Jeffrey Vale and CIO Gregory B. Jones, filed four separate lawsuits against RPM in Cook County, Illinois, claiming nearly $20 million in losses across four Chicago-area properties. Infinity alleges RPM failed to certify tenant eligibility for federal housing assistance, resulting in 42 residents at the Washington Courts property being terminated from the HUD system and a permanent loss of subsidy revenue.6The Real Deal. Landlord Infinity Sues RPM Living Over Property Management
Infinity also claims RPM’s mismanagement “torpedoed property values,” left resident records so disordered that refinancing became impossible, and involved overpriced vendors charging “unconscionable amounts above standard costs.” The individual claims break down as $12.4 million for Washington Courts, $6.5 million for Lavergne Courts, $500,000 for Parkside Terrace, and $300,000 for Whitmore Apartments. RPM has said it is “vigorously defending” the allegations and intends to file counterclaims for damages it says Infinity owes.6The Real Deal. Landlord Infinity Sues RPM Living Over Property Management
The Cooper Fort Worth Fire
A six-alarm fire at The Cooper apartments in Fort Worth on June 23, 2025 displaced more than 800 residents. The Fort Worth Fire Department attributed it to an electrical problem with a rooftop HVAC unit.7Fort Worth Report. Displaced Tenants Sue Fort Worth Apartment Complex After Six-Alarm Fire
In August 2025, 49 former residents sued in Tarrant County District Court. Defendants include The Cooper Fort Worth LLC, owner Lightbulb Capital Group, former manager Cushman and Wakefield, RPM Living (which took over property management in late July 2025, after the fire), electrical contractor Cano Electric, and its owner and an electrician. The suit alleges gross negligence and premises liability, and claims Cano Electric assigned an unlicensed contractor to perform unsupervised high-voltage rooftop work.8Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Displaced Tenants Sue Fort Worth Apartment Complex After Six-Alarm Fire
RPM’s role in the litigation centers on what happened after the fire. Tenants say RPM blocked them from retrieving personal belongings, required legal waivers, and required the use of third-party decontamination companies before allowing entry, citing contamination that included mold. That property retrieval dispute was resolved in January 2026: residents were allowed to sign a waiver and have a moving company remove their items, though tenants in demolished units were limited to five items.9Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Cooper Apartments Fire Lawsuit Update
The plaintiff group has grown to at least 100 former tenants. The case was temporarily paused when Cano Electric filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; that hold has been lifted, and the case is now in discovery. A pre-trial hearing is set for July 5, 2027.9Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Cooper Apartments Fire Lawsuit Update
Texas Owner Suit Over Florida Properties
Cardinal Residential Ventures, LLC and two affiliated entities sued RPM Living in Dallas County District Court in June 2024, alleging “multiple failures to perform its contractual obligations,” “gross mismanagement,” and fraud. The plaintiffs say they hired RPM in late 2022 to handle day-to-day management and construction projects at two Florida residential properties, and that RPM collected roughly $725,000 in fees and reimbursements while failing to deliver, causing “severe financial harm.” The case remains open.10Trellis Law. Cardinal Residential Ventures v. RPM Living, LLC – Original Petition
Individual Tenant Complaints
Outside of the courts, RPM Living has accumulated a large volume of individual complaints. Its Better Business Bureau profile shows 627 complaints over a three-year period, with 157 classified as billing issues. Recurring grievances include difficulty recovering security deposits, undisclosed add-on charges for utilities and services tenants say they never agreed to, administrative fees charged despite alleged processing failures, and disputed debts sent to collections. One tenant reported being sent to collections for roughly $1,600 after moving out because of mold; another described being charged for fees from 2021 that the tenant said had already been resolved.11Better Business Bureau. RPM Living – BBB Complaints
About RPM Living
RPM Living was founded in 2002 in Austin as Roscoe Property Management by Jason Berkowitz, who remains CEO.12RPM Living. GlobeSt Names Jason Berkowitz a 2021 Multifamily Influencer The firm manages conventional, senior, and affordable housing and runs investment and development operations, with corporate offices in Austin, Atlanta, and Phoenix and a workforce of more than 5,000. It ranks among the largest apartment managers in the country on the National Multifamily Housing Council’s annual list.13RPM Living. Multifamily Management Services