COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The U.S. Justice Department announced this week it is suing six major apartment companies for practices that drive up prices and harm renters, including Ohioans. The Department of Justice filed an amended complaint in its lawsuit against real estate software company RealPage, adding six major landlord companies to the litigation. These six landlord agencies operate across 43 states and Washington D.C., including management of at least 16 apartment complexes in central Ohio. What we know about Trump, Ohio and a Dubai billionaire's incoming data centers The DOJ named Greystar Real Estate Partners, Blackstone's LivCor, Camden Property Trust, Cushman & Wakefield and acquisition Pinnacle Property Management Services, Willow Bridge Property Company and Cortland Management. The amended lawsuit argues renters have a right to competition between landlords, which helps to offset housing costs. According to the DOJ, these six landlords allegedly communicated with one another to compare sensitive pricing information to keep their prices higher.  The initial lawsuit alleged RealPage’s algorithm harmed renters by contracting with landlords to get sensitive pricing information to train RealPage’s software. The software allegedly generated recommendations for landlords using this data, which led to higher rental prices and a monopoly on real estate software for RealPage.  Cortland, Cushman & Wakefield and Greystar all operate properties in and around Columbus. LivCor is owned by Blackstone, which owns some properties in Columbus but does not appear to run any of them through LivCor. Data for LivCor's properties is limited, but in 2019, the company operated in nine states, none of which were in Ohio. Willow Bridge and Camden do not appear to operate properties in Ohio.  29 new laws are on their way in Ohio, here's what they are Cushman & Wakefield manages Muirwood Village in Delaware, which rents ranch-style apartments. Greystar operates student housing at the Commons on Kinnear, an apartment building near Ohio State University. Cortland operates 14 apartment complexes in central Ohio: Cortland Dublin Cortland Hilliard Cortland Powell Cortland Sunbury Cortland Northlake in Sunbury Cortland at New Albany Abbie Lakes in Canal Winchester and Reynoldsburg Reserve at Abbie Lakes in Canal Winchester and Reynoldsburg Lake’s Edge at Pickerington and Canal Winchester Sunbury Ridge in northeast Columbus Lake Ridge in Hilliard Brookesedge in Reynoldsburg The Bend at Broad in Blacklick and Reynoldsburg Jefferson Chase in Blacklick and Reynoldsburg Cortland is the most prominent landlord in central Ohio named in the suit, and it is also the only company offered a deal with the DOJ. Under the proposed deal, Cortland would be absolved of the claims in exchange for cooperating with the investigation. Cortland would also be banned from using competitors' data to plan its pricing, disclosing any sensitive information to competitors, and using third-party algorithms for pricing without a court-appointed monitor present. The attorney generals of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington are co-plaintiffs with the DOJ in the lawsuit.