Two of the country’s largest online real estate listing companies conspired to reduce competition in the advertising market for rental housing, according to separate lawsuits filed this week by the Federal Trade Commission and several states including New York.

The lawsuits allege a deal between Zillow and Redfin, which owns Rent.com and ApartmentGuide.com, could harm landlords and apartment hunters by potentially driving up advertising costs and reducing the variety of rental ads online.

In a February agreement, Zillow agreed to pay Redfin $100 million to show only apartment listings that also are listed on Zillow’s sites, according to the lawsuits.

Federal regulators allege that deal represented Redfin’s exit from the multifamily advertising market for buildings with 25 or more units

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