You open your mail and find a check from "Rust Consulting" for a case involving Invitation Homes. Before you assume it's junk mail or worse — a scam — know this: it's real, it's from the FTC, and it's yours to keep. You just have to cash it.

Here's the full story of what Invitation Homes did, why the FTC got involved, and exactly what you need to know about your check.

What did Invitation Homes do?

Invitation Homes is one of the largest single-family rental companies in the United States, owning tens of thousands of homes across the country. The FTC's case against them comes down to a straightforward pattern: they advertised one price, then charged renters something different.

The FTC's own consumer blog put it plainly: Invitation Homes was "anything but inviting." Here's what that actually looked like in practice.

According to the FTC, the company hit tenants with fees that were never disclosed upfront — charges for things like "smart home technology" and "utility management" that renters didn't ask for and couldn't opt out of. If you budgeted based on the advertised rent, you were in for a surprise on your first bill.

The move-out side was arguably worse. The FTC alleged Invitation Homes charged departing tenants for:

  • Normal wear and tear — the kind of minor scuffs and carpet wear that landlords are legally not allowed to charge for in most states
  • Damage that existed before the renter ever moved in
  • Renovations — meaning tenants were billed for improvements to the property they were leaving

Charging someone for a renovation on a home they no longer live in. That one takes some nerve. The FTC agreed — it took action against Invitation Homes in September 2024, and in March 2026, $47.2 million in refund checks started going out.

Who is getting a check?

The FTC is sending 444,131 checks to people who paid Invitation Homes for undisclosed fees or deceptive and unfair charges between January 2021 and September 2024. The average check works out to roughly $106 — meaningfully more than a token refund.

Important exclusion: If Invitation Homes already gave you a direct credit or refund at any point, you are not eligible for a payment from this settlement. The FTC is only distributing funds to people who never received anything back.

The refund administrator is Rust Consulting — a well-established firm that handles FTC refund distributions. Your check and any accompanying paperwork will reference the Invitation Homes case. That's the connection that makes this legitimate.

What do you need to do?

Short answer: cash the check. There is no claim form, no portal, and no deadline to file anything. The FTC identified eligible renters from Invitation Homes' own records and is mailing checks directly.

The one hard deadline is the check itself — you have 90 days from the date printed on the check to cash it. After that window closes, uncashed funds go back to the U.S. Treasury, not to you. Put it in your to-do pile, then actually do it.

What if you rented from Invitation Homes but didn't get a check?

A few possibilities: your contact information may have changed since your tenancy, the mailing may still be in progress, or you may have already received a direct credit from Invitation Homes that disqualifies you. If you think you should be eligible and haven't received anything after a few weeks:

  • Call the refund administrator directly: Rust Consulting at 1-800-804-6915
  • Check the official FTC page for updates: ftc.gov/enforcement/refunds/invitation-homes-settlement

How to verify the check is real

A check from a company called "Rust Consulting" for a case you may barely remember is exactly the kind of thing that sets off scam radar. Here's how to confirm this one is genuine:

✓Rust Consulting is the FTC-contracted administrator. Their name and the phone number 1-800-804-6915 appear on the official FTC settlement page for this case.
✓The FTC case is publicly documented. Search "Invitation Homes FTC" — you'll find the original September 2024 enforcement action and the March 2026 refund announcement, both on ftc.gov.
✓Nobody is asking you for anything. Real FTC refunds never require a fee, your Social Security number, or bank account details to "release" payment. The check is the payment.
Watch for copycats. High-profile FTC payouts attract scammers who send fake notices to the same pool of renters, often claiming you need to "verify" your identity or pay a processing fee first. If anyone contacts you asking for money or sensitive information in connection with this refund, that's a scam. Hang up and call Rust Consulting directly at the number above to check on your real check.

The bigger picture

Invitation Homes operates at massive scale — they own homes in dozens of markets and have millions of renter interactions every year. The FTC's core allegation is that the company systematically used that scale to extract money from renters in ways that were hard to spot, hard to dispute, and easy to repeat across hundreds of thousands of leases.

Advertising one price and charging another isn't a billing error. Getting caught doing it to nearly half a million people over four years suggests it was working exactly as intended — until it wasn't.

The $47.2 million going back to renters is a fraction of what the company collected in undisclosed fees over that period. But $106 is $106, and it's yours. Don't let it expire on your counter.

Source: This article is based entirely on the FTC's official settlement page and press releases. Primary source: ftc.gov/enforcement/refunds/invitation-homes-settlement. Administrator: Rust Consulting, 1-800-804-6915.