American Homes 4 Rent, which now operates as AMH, has faced a steady stream of lawsuits and complaints tied to how it maintains its rental homes, handles security deposits, and treats employees at its corporate headquarters. The company has drawn 718 Better Business Bureau complaints in the three years ending June 2026, two employment discrimination suits in federal court in Nevada, and a formal inquiry from the ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee. It has not, so far, been named in the biggest federal enforcement actions that have hit some of its competitors in the institutional single-family rental business.
Repair and Habitability Complaints
Service and repair issues are the single largest category of complaints against AMH, accounting for 356 of the 718 BBB complaints logged over the three years ending June 2026. Tenants describe going months without working ovens, air conditioning, heating, or plumbing, and report poor communication from property managers when trying to schedule repairs. Several complaints mention industrial drying and mold remediation equipment left running in occupied homes for extended periods, driving up utility bills.1BBB. American Homes 4 Rent Complaints
A 2026 Oklahoma Watch investigation documented one family’s experience in detail. Jackie and Karis Long rented an AMH-owned home in Edmond, Oklahoma, where a water leak from an HVAC condensation line put a hole in the wall, destroyed carpeting, and left the family with exposed concrete subfloors and protruding nails. A professional inspection turned up improperly sealed ductwork that posed a contamination risk, fire hazards involving the air conditioner, dryer vent, and water heater, a missing carbon monoxide detector, and signs of possible mold and structural damage under the kitchen sink and master shower.2Oklahoma Watch. National Landlord Left Oklahoma Family in Barely Habitable Home, Then Evicted Them for Withholding Rent
When the Longs withheld rent to pressure the company into making repairs, AMH filed for eviction in August 2025, claiming the family owed $3,792.58. The Longs paid the arrears to keep the home, then eventually moved out. Oklahoma Watch characterized the pattern as a “constructive eviction,” in which a landlord’s failure to address serious problems drives tenants out without the company having to formally terminate the lease.2Oklahoma Watch. National Landlord Left Oklahoma Family in Barely Habitable Home, Then Evicted Them for Withholding Rent
Security Deposit and Billing Disputes
Billing complaints, many centered on security deposits, are the second-largest category, with 220 BBB filings over the same three-year period. Tenants allege that AMH withholds deposits for pre-existing damage, normal wear and tear, cleaning, and missing fixtures such as faucets, blinds, or screens that they say weren’t their responsibility. One tenant reported an ongoing dispute over specific line items after a $3,400 deposit came back short.3BBB. American Homes 4 Rent Complaints
Some disputes reach small claims court. In one mediated Ohio case, tenant Derryck Boyer recovered 75% of his $2,300 security deposit from AMH after contesting the company’s move-out charges. Reporting on the broader institutional single-family rental industry has found that companies like AMH sometimes turn disputed move-out balances over to debt collectors even when tenants believe they satisfied all lease obligations, and that settlements often include non-disclosure clauses barring tenants from discussing the resolution publicly.4The Capitol Forum. Single-Family Rental Industry Debt Collectors
AMH’s responses to BBB complaints follow a recognizable pattern. When a dispute involves lease terms, eviction, or contested charges, the company typically states that the matter is being resolved in accordance with local law and the lease agreement through its attorneys, and declines to offer further concessions through the BBB process. In some cases, however, AMH has acknowledged errors and revised charges after tenants escalated the issue to district-level or local management, producing refunds or ledger corrections.5BBB. American Homes 4 Rent Complaints Of the 718 total complaints, 155 were marked resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction and 563 were marked “answered,” meaning the company responded but the tenant either rejected the response or did not confirm satisfaction.6BBB. American Homes 4 Rent Complaints
Employment Discrimination Lawsuits
Two former employees have sued AMH in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, where the company is headquartered.
In Kissick v. American Homes 4 Rent, LP, filed in December 2019, a 49-year-old former call center sales representative alleged that AMH fired her in retaliation for taking FMLA-approved medical leave to accommodate a disability. Her complaint raised claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and Nevada disability discrimination law, and alleged more broadly that AMH’s human resources department targeted employees in protected groups, including disabled, older, and minority workers, by using performance improvement plans to build pretextual paper trails for termination. The case settled on an individual basis in March 2021.7Thierman Buck. Kissick v. American Homes 4 Rent, LP
In Lee v. American Homes 4 Rent, LP, filed in 2021, former employee Jaemon Lee alleged that AMH fired him because of his transgender status and his history of filing discrimination complaints against a previous employer. AMH moved to compel arbitration based on an agreement Lee signed electronically during onboarding. In May 2022, U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey granted the motion and dismissed the court case, sending the dispute to arbitration.8vLex. Lee v. Am. Homes 4 Rent, L.P.
Congressional and Federal Scrutiny
On March 25, 2026, Senator Elizabeth Warren, ranking member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, sent AMH CEO Bryan Smith a letter demanding extensive operational data. Warren asked for a full list of AMH’s single-family, multifamily, and manufactured housing units by zip code, plus 2020–2025 figures on median gross rents, vacancy rates, eviction filings, and maintenance complaints. The letter also sought information on bulk property sales, the share of AMH tenants receiving federal rental assistance, and any communications between AMH and Trump Administration officials about institutional investors in housing. The response deadline was April 8, 2026; no public response from the company has been documented.9U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Letter to American Homes 4 Rent Re: Institutional Investors in Housing
Warren sent similar letters to other large corporate landlords, framing the inquiry as a response to what she called “predatory rental practices” across the industry, including fair housing violations, habitability failures, and algorithmic rent-setting.10U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Warren Probes Biggest Corporate Landlords on Predatory Rental Practices Across Housing Sector
Separately, the Federal Trade Commission announced in January 2025 that it was seeking public comment on the possible use of compulsory 6(b) information orders targeting “more than 30 mega investors” that each own more than 1,000 single-family rental homes. The Commission voted 5-0 to authorize the notice. As of early 2026, no orders had been issued and no specific companies had been publicly named as targets.11FTC. FTC Seeks Public Comment on Single-Family Rental Home Mega-Investors Study
Where AMH Is Not Named
One legal front worth noting for what it doesn’t include: the major antitrust litigation over RealPage’s algorithmic pricing software. The federal class action, In re RealPage Inc. Rental Software Antitrust Litigation, names 49 property management companies and landlords as defendants, and AMH is not among them.12Hausfeld. RealPage Federal Antitrust Class Action A November 2023 lawsuit brought by the District of Columbia Attorney General against RealPage and 14 landlord defendants also does not name AMH.13Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. Attorney General Schwalb Sues RealPage, Residential Landlords Warren’s letter references a January 2025 Department of Justice suit against six large landlords over an “algorithmic pricing scheme,” suggesting this remains an area of active federal interest even for companies not currently named.9U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Letter to American Homes 4 Rent Re: Institutional Investors in Housing
How AMH Compares to Other Corporate Landlords
AMH’s legal exposure sits below that of some of its direct competitors. The FTC sued Invitation Homes in September 2024, alleging the company deceived applicants about lease costs, charged undisclosed fees, failed to inspect homes, and unfairly withheld security deposits. That case produced a $48 million settlement. Warren’s 2026 letter to AMH also cited major litigation against Tricon Residential, Amherst, and Progress Residential over fair housing violations, habitability failures, and property management standards.9U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Letter to American Homes 4 Rent Re: Institutional Investors in Housing
AMH holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau despite the 718 complaint total, 255 of which closed in the most recent 12 months.6BBB. American Homes 4 Rent Complaints The pattern in the complaint data and in the Oklahoma case is consistent: the company answers, cites the lease, and often stands by its charges, and tenants who want a different outcome frequently have to escalate internally, file in small claims court, or move out.