WinnResidential, the property management arm of Boston-based WinnCompanies, has been named in a series of lawsuits and government enforcement actions since 2016, including a federal antitrust class action over alleged rent-fixing through RealPage software, a $2 million District of Columbia settlement over uninhabitable housing conditions, a Massachusetts disability discrimination suit, a dismissed federal whistleblower case, an employment discrimination claim, and fair housing complaints in California. What follows is where each matter stands.
RealPage Rent-Fixing Class Action
WinnCompanies LLC and Winn Residential Manager Corp. are among the defendants in In re RealPage, Inc., Rental Software Antitrust Litigation (No. II), Case No. 3:23-md-03071, pending before Judge Crenshaw in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. The consolidated litigation alleges that large property managers fed nonpublic rent and occupancy data into RealPage’s revenue management algorithm, which then recommended prices designed to lift collective revenue rather than compete on the open market.1This Week in Worcester. Ex-City Manager’s Firm in Rent-Fixing Realpage Litigation2Hausfeld LLP. RealPage Federal Antitrust Class Action
Winn was pulled in through two of the underlying suits, White v. RealPage, Inc. and Precht v. RealPage, Inc., part of 21 federal cases consolidated in April 2023. The defendants’ motion to dismiss was denied in December 2023, and the case moved into discovery.2Hausfeld LLP. RealPage Federal Antitrust Class Action
By March 31, 2025, Winn had signed a term sheet to settle. It appeared on a joint quarterly settlement report as one of nineteen settling defendants, with April 2025 targeted for finalizing the long-form agreement.3Capstone DC. RealPage MDL Settlement Notices4RealPage Rental Settlement. RealPage Rental Software Antitrust Litigation Settlement5Multifamily Dive. RealPage Class Action Lawsuit Settlement
Under the settlements, defendants agreed to stop feeding nonpublic data to RealPage’s rent-setting algorithms and to stop using the revenue management system that relies on competitor data.5Multifamily Dive. RealPage Class Action Lawsuit Settlement
WinnResidential has denied the underlying allegations. After Senators Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Representative Seth Moulton sent letters in September 2024 demanding information from thirteen corporate landlords about their RealPage use, a company spokesperson said WinnCompanies “has never used the YieldStar or AIRM software products mentioned in the letter” and had not used RealPage software for revenue management for a year. The company said it was “surprised and disappointed” to have been named and was seeking removal from the complaint.6GovTech. Lawmakers Probe Mass. Landlords’ Use of Rent-Setting Software WinnResidential was not among the landlords named in the separate Department of Justice enforcement action against individual property managers.7Federal Register. United States v. RealPage, Inc. – Proposed Final Judgment and Competitive Impact Statement
DC Attorney General’s $2 Million Settlement Over Unsafe Housing
In September 2023, the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General announced a $2 million settlement with Winn Managed Properties, LLC, Southern Hills Limited Partnership, and Atlantic Terrace Limited Partnership, resolving an investigation into two HUD-subsidized complexes in Ward 8: Southern Hills (255 units) and Atlantic Terrace (196 units).8DC Office of the Attorney General. Attorney General Schwalb Requires Landlord to Pay $2 Million
The investigation, opened in November 2021, documented what the OAG called uninhabitable conditions: pest and rodent infestations; broken plumbing, water damage, leaks, and mold; insecure or broken doors and windows; lead-based paint hazards, including chipping paint; and fire and safety issues such as missing smoke detectors.
The settlement, styled as an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance, split the $2 million into $1.15 million paid to the District and $850,000 in rent credits distributed across the two properties’ 451 units. Southern Hills tenants received credits equal to 50 percent of their rent for twelve months; Atlantic Terrace tenants received the same rate for six months.9DC Office of the Attorney General. Winn Southern Hills Atlantic Terrace Settlement Agreement
Operational obligations run through January 1, 2027. All outstanding housing code and lead-paint violations had to be abated within 60 days, emergency maintenance issues within 24 hours, and non-emergency violations within 30 days. The properties were required to install tamper-proof exterior door locks, functioning security cameras, and adequate lighting, and to submit biannual compliance reports. The OAG kept the right to inspect 10 to 20 percent of units twice a year. The respondents denied liability.9DC Office of the Attorney General. Winn Southern Hills Atlantic Terrace Settlement Agreement8DC Office of the Attorney General. Attorney General Schwalb Requires Landlord to Pay $2 Million
Massachusetts Disability Discrimination Suit
On October 4, 2023, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell filed suit in Suffolk County Superior Court against Olmsted Green Rental III, LLC and Winn Residential Corporation, alleging a pattern of disability-based discrimination at the Olmsted Green development in Dorchester.10Mass.gov. AG’s Office Files Lawsuit Over Claims of Disability-Based Discrimination at Olmsted Green in Dorchester
The complaint alleged that since at least 2020, the defendants repeatedly failed to respond to or properly process reasonable requests for disability-related accommodations during routine maintenance. Two tenants’ complaints, both investigated by the Boston Fair Housing Commission, anchored the case. A resident on Osprey Way with cardiovascular disease had asked maintenance staff to wear masks and gloves; those requests were allegedly ignored from 2020 until 2023. A resident on Sandpiper Lane whose young child has autism had asked for advance notice of maintenance visits so the child could be prepared; those requests were allegedly disregarded.
The Attorney General alleged violations of state fair housing and consumer protection laws and asked the court for compliance orders, penalties, and damages. A Winn Residential spokesperson called the events “isolated incidents” that did not reflect “any intent to discriminate against residents.”11Dorchester Reporter. Campbell Alleges Bias Against Disabled at Olmsted Green, Winn The case was assigned to Judge Debra A. Squires-Lee. The last recorded activity was in late 2023, and no settlement, trial outcome, or further public ruling has been reported.
Whistleblower False Claims Act Case (Dismissed)
In 2016, Monica McLamore, a resident of Atlantic Terrace in Washington, D.C., filed a False Claims Act suit against Winn Companies and Atlantic Terrace Limited Partnership. She alleged the defendants submitted false certifications to HUD that units were in “decent, safe and sanitary condition” while the buildings had mold, vermin, insects, and malfunctioning electrical and HVAC systems, pointing to Housing Assistance Payments contracts signed in 2004 and 2016.12CaseMine. United States ex rel. McLamore v. Winn Companies
U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan dismissed the case on December 30, 2022. Claims tied to the 2004 contract were barred by the False Claims Act’s ten-year statute of limitations. On the 2016 contract, the court held that McLamore failed to plead materiality: she did not sufficiently allege that HUD’s payments depended on the truthfulness of the habitability certifications rather than on HUD’s own inspections. Because she had already been warned about deficiencies in earlier versions of her complaint, the dismissal came without leave to amend.12CaseMine. United States ex rel. McLamore v. Winn Companies13Bloomberg Law. Winn Companies Defeats Whistleblower’s Housing Fraud Lawsuit
Mendes Employment Discrimination Case
Genesa Mendes, a former employee who identified as a Black woman with PTSD, depression, and anxiety, sued WinnCompanies LLC and her former supervisor, John Kuppens, in federal court in Massachusetts in 2023. She alleged discrimination based on race and sex, failure to accommodate her disability, FMLA interference, Equal Pay Act violations, and retaliation. Her allegations included that her supervisor treated employees differently based on skin tone, held her to higher standards than lighter-skinned peers, reneged on a promised promotion, cut her salary after she relocated to North Carolina, and required her to work while on FMLA leave. She resigned in December 2022, citing a hostile work environment.14CaseMine. Mendes v. WinnCompanies LLC
In December 2023, Chief U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV dismissed several claims. The intentional infliction of emotional distress claim was barred by the Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Act. Her state-law discrimination and retaliation claims were time-barred because she had not filed with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination within 300 days. The court allowed her disability accommodation claim to proceed, finding she had adequately alleged that she was qualified for her position and that her employer knew of her condition. The case was terminated in September 2024; the nature of the resolution is not publicly detailed.14CaseMine. Mendes v. WinnCompanies LLC15CourtListener. Mendes v. WinnCompanies LLC – Docket
California Fair Housing Matters
In 2021, four Fair Housing Act complaints were filed against WinnResidential California L.P. and 751 Driskell Ave, L.P. over Mustang Peak Village in Newman, California. Complainants alleged the companies enforced restrictive rules targeting children’s access to common areas, harassed families with children, and selectively enforced a personal-items policy against families. A HUD conciliation agreement resolved the matter: respondents paid $29,000 to the complainants, agreed to revise property rules and complaint procedures, and required all resident-facing employees to complete at least three hours of fair housing training. The respondents did not admit liability.16HUD. WinnResidential California Conciliation Agreement
Earlier, in 2018, Vena Cain filed a Fair Housing Act lawsuit against WinnResidential California, LP in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, seeking monetary, declaratory, and injunctive relief. After mediation in November 2018, the parties filed a stipulation of dismissal, and the case was terminated in January 2019.17PACER Monitor. Cain v. WinnResidential California, LP
About WinnResidential
WinnResidential is the property management arm of WinnCompanies, founded in 1971 and headquartered in Boston. The parent company also operates WinnDevelopment for real estate development and WinnResidential Military Housing Services, which manages more than 30,000 military family units. WinnCompanies employs roughly 4,000 people across offices in California, Hawaii, Maryland, New York, Tennessee, Texas, and the District of Columbia, among other states. It is the sixth-largest multifamily property manager in the United States and the largest manager of affordable housing nationally, with about 660 properties, 106,000 apartment homes, and 160,000 residents.18WinnCompanies. WinnCompanies Team19Urban Institute. Trauma-Informed Housing – WinnCompanies