North Carolina’s attorney general says six landlords operating in the state – including two with properties in southeast North Carolina – are colluding together to illegally raise rent prices.

In his first major action as North Carolina Attorney General, Jeff Jackson has sued six large property management companies, accusing them of conspiring to keep rent prices above market rates.

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson took legal action Tuesday against six landlords accused of illegally raising rent prices in the state. The United States Department of Justice joined North Carolina in the lawsuit,

The U.S. Justice Department is suing six major landlords for allegedly collaborating to keep rents high. The lawsuit accuses the landlords of using RealPage's rent-setting algorithm and sharing sensitive data to avoid lowering rents.

The companies being sued own or manage 70,000 units in North Carolina, including one-third of the apartments in the state's most populous cities.