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The Seattle Times: WA tenants dread rental fees. Could an end be in sight?

August 27, 2026

Appearing in The Seattle Times on August 27, 2026, Jessica Fu talks to Ariel Nelson, senior attorney at NCLC about how tenants across Washington state say that they face an increasingly confounding landscape of rental charges: amenity fees to access common areas, mailroom fees to receive packages, technology fees for app-enabled door locks and even…

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Comments in Response to Congressional RFI on AI in the Financial Marketplace

August 14, 2026

In response to a request for information by Representative Maxine Waters and House Financial Service Committee members, the National Consumer Law Center submitted comments on the application of consumer protection law to use of AI in the financial marketplace. Our comments:

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What States Can Do About Security Deposit Alternatives

August 17, 2026

Following up on our report about Security Deposit Alternatives, this document identifies actions states can do to curb abuses with these products.

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Comments on the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection's Proposed Rule to Prohibit Charging Consumers Hidden "Junk Fees"

July 28, 2026

These comments highlight NCLC’s rental housing junk fees resources, and also provide an overview of the array of junk fees renters must pay to secure and maintain rental housing and how these fees contribute to housing unaffordability and precarity. These comments also provide recommendations about what the final rules should contain.

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Letter to the Chicago City Council Regarding the Protecting Renters Ordinance

July 21, 2026

The National Consumer Law Center writes to provide technical advice and comments regarding the proposed Protecting Renters Ordinance, focusing on section 5-12-081, Fees in addition to rent.

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Forbes: Security Deposit Payment Plans Could Cost More Than A Traditional Deposit, Report Finds

June 8, 2026

Appearing in Forbes Advisor on June 8, 2026, Kristen Grau talks to NCLC Senior Attorney April Kuehnhoff about how some renters are turning to security deposit installment plans to lower move-in expenses, and how a new NCLC report finds these products can come with terms and fees that make them more expensive than traditional security…

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The New York Times: More Renters Are Using Tools to Skip Security Deposits, but There’s a Catch

June 5, 2026

Appearing in The New York Times on June 5, 2026, Ann Carrns talks to NCLC’s April Kuehnhoff for coverage of NCLC’s report examining financial technology firms that are promoting alternative tools to manage security deposits. Millions of renters use the services. “They’re quite widespread,” said April Kuehnhoff, a senior lawyer at the center and an…

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Security Deposit Alternative Products are Hurting Tenant Financial Security

May 26, 2026

New NCLC Report Reveals Hidden Risks and Costs of Predatory PropTech Products

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Tenant Insecurity: How Security Deposit "Alternatives" Raise Tenants' Costs and Erode their Protections

May 20, 2026

Updated June 5, 2026. A previous version of this report misstated a description of LeaseLock’s product. “PropTech” is compounding the unaffordability and precarity of securing and maintaining rental housing. The proliferation of property technology has become another way to extract profits from tenants desperate for a roof over their heads. This report focuses on one…

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USA Today: Rent is crushing Americans. Now some companies say: Pay later

May 3, 2026

Appearing in USA Today on May 3, 2026, Andrea Riquier writes about how fintech companies are offering rent‑now‑pay‑later services to help renters manage cash‑flow gaps caused by soaring housing costs, but Ariel Nelson, senior attorney at NCLC, and other consumer advocates argue the products are costly, sometimes predatory, and insufficiently regulated. “These products speak to…

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What States & Local Governments Can Do to Support Immigrants' Financial Stability

June 22, 2026

States, counties, and local governments can help protect immigrants, their families, and communities from financial exploitation and other consumer abuses.

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Testimony to DC Council Housing Committee on B26 0595 True Act

March 30, 2026

This is written testimony to the DC Council Housing Committee on B26 0595 True Act, a ratio utility billing systems (RUBS) transparency bill. The testimony recommends the DC Council prohibit RUBS and lists the harms to tenants and to energy and water conservation goals for the District of Columbia. The testimony provides examples from other…

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