Invitation Homes: Difference between revisions
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{{CompanyCargo | |||
|Founded=2012 | |||
|Industry= | |||
|Logo=Invitation Homes logo.png | |||
|ParentCompany= | |||
|Type= | |||
|Website=https://www.invitationhomes.com/ | |||
|Description= | |||
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==Consumer | Invitation Homes is an American home leasing company founded in 2012. | ||
==Consumer impact summary== | |||
{{Ph-C-CIS}} | {{Ph-C-CIS}} | ||
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Mandatory subscriptions | |||
===Mandatory Ring subscription=== | ===Mandatory Ring subscription=== | ||
{{Main|link to the main CR Wiki article}} | {{Main|link to the main CR Wiki article}} | ||
Rent includes a subscription to a "Smart Home" service, consisting of remote locking and thermostat control, and for some properties, [[Ring]]: a video doorbell known to pose major privacy and security risks. This is a required subscription fee, and renters cannot opt out of any part of it.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Leasing Fees Guide |url=https://www.invitationhomes.com/fees |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260110164009/https://www.invitationhomes.com/fees |archive-date=10 Jan 2026 |access-date=11 Feb 2026}}</ref> | |||
A 2019 email from Invitation Homes' CEO called on the senior vice president responsible for overseeing the company's fee program to "juice this hog" by making the smart home fee mandatory for renters.<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 Sep 2024 |title=FTC Takes Action Against Invitation Homes for Deceiving Renters, Charging Junk Fees, Withholding Security Deposits, and Employing Unfair Eviction Practices |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/09/ftc-takes-action-against-invitation-homes-deceiving-renters-charging-junk-fees-withholding-security |url-status=live |access-date=11 Feb 2026 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260128232343/https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/09/ftc-takes-action-against-invitation-homes-deceiving-renters-charging-junk-fees-withholding-security |archive-date=28 Jan 2026}}</ref> | |||
[[File:Invitation Homes website "Smart Home" fee description.png|thumb|Text on the Invitation Homes website explaining that the "smart home technology" (including Ring) is required.]] | |||
[[File:Invitation Homes smart home fee with video doorbell.png|thumb|The monthly "Smart Home" fee, including the Ring subscription (Video Doorbell).]] | |||
===Stealing renters' deposits=== | |||
A complaint from the FTC quotes: | |||
<blockquote>"The FTC also alleges that Invitation Homes has systematically withheld renters' security deposits when they moved out of the company's houses, including by deceptively and unfairly charging them for normal wear-and-tear, damages that existed before renters moved in, and even renovations. These charges were not renters' responsibility and directly contradicted Invitation Homes' clear representations to prospective renters that security deposits would be charged only for damage the resident caused beyond normal wear and tear." | |||
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"[...] Invitation Homes' security deposit refund practices were far outside of national norms, with the complaint noting that, between 2020 and 2022, Invitation Homes returned only 39.2% of consumers total security deposit dollars collected, compared to the national average of 63.9%."</blockquote> | |||
==Products== | ==Products== | ||
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[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]] | [[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]] | ||
[[Category:Companies]] | |||