Sauder Schelkopf is investigating a class action lawsuit against property management software, AppFolio. AppFolio allows property management companies to collect rent by electronic checks. AppFolio services tens of thousands of renters and property owners.
Effective July 31, 2023, AppFolio reportedly began charging a transaction fee of $2.49 to renters for all payments made on the platform via electronic checks. Renters allege that AppFolio did not obtain consent nor provide adequate notice about the transaction fee. It has been further alleged that renters who have tried to cancel payments on AppFolio have still been charged for the month’s rent plus the transaction fee.
Property managers, too, allege that AppFolio failed to provide adequate notice about the new transaction fee. Property managers allege that they specifically chose to use AppFolio because it was renowned for its lack of transaction fees. AppFolio reportedly gave property managers the option of paying renters’ transaction fees in lieu of passing the cost to renters, but property managers allege that the fees alone exceed the cost of using the software.
Experience Matters
Sauder Schelkopf has a nationally recognized litigation practice. The firm currently serves as court-appointed lead counsel in courts across the country. The attorneys at Sauder Schelkopf have recovered over $500 million on behalf of their clients and class members. Our firm was recognized by the Legal Intelligencer’s 2022 Professional Excellence Awards. The Legal Intelligencer’s Professional Excellence Awards honor Pennsylvania law firms and attorneys who have significantly impacted the legal profession. Our firm was named in the Litigation Departments of the Year (Specialty Area category; runner-up), an award that honors the best litigation practice in a small or mid-sized firm in Pennsylvania. This recognition was based on the firm’s 2021 litigation work and its important ongoing cases. LawDragon has recognized our attorneys in its list of the “500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers” for 2022. This list notes: “From the opioid epidemic to toxic substances and defective products, truck accidents to wildfires and sexual abuse, these are the lawyers who stand on the front line in individual lawsuits and class actions seeking justice.” Mr. Schelkopf was named to Pennsylvania’s Best Lawyers® 2022 for Class Actions/Mass Tort Litigation. The American Lawyer named Mr. Sauder to its 2021 Northeast Trailblazers. The honor recognizes 60 lawyers who are “truly agents of change.” It “recognizes professionals in the Northeast who have moved the needle in the legal industry.” The Legal Intelligencer named Mr. Sauder and Mr. Schelkopf in its 2020 Pennsylvania Trailblazers list recognizing 31 lawyers who “have taken extra measures to contribute to positive outcomes . . . and who are truly agents of change.” The Legal highlighted the firm’s innovative work on advocacy as class counsel in large institutional sex abuse cover-ups, women’s, and children’s rights. Our attorneys have also consistently been recognized by their peers being named to Pennsylvania SuperLawyer, a distinction held by the top 5% of attorneys in Pennsylvania. The National Trial Lawyers Association has also selected our attorneys as the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Pennsylvania.
We Want to Hear from You
If you have been affected by AppFolio’s transaction fees, please contact the attorneys at Sauder Schelkopf by completing the form on this page.