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Map Lets You Report Landlords Using Tech to Screw over Tenants

26 points by sharkweek 6y ago

samcheng 6y ago
Pretty sure a lot of these landlords are deploying technology in a bid to compete for tenants, not screw them over. For example, an app-based (or even biometric) entry system reduces the number of times I get locked out after forgetting my keys. Smart locks let me open the door remotely for a housekeeper or maintenance person. Tenant screening technology is really no different from the credit report that landlords run already. Tenants have substantial legal protections, which have been extended further during COVID-19. As such, it does feel like the balance of power is shifting toward tenants, not away from them. There are definitely crappy landlords out there, but IMO identifying them from their crappy behavior, rather than their investment into technology, is a better mechanism. Has anyone built a Yelp for apartment buildings?
- fragmede 6y ago
  Why not both? Digital-only locks mean that the landlord can lock you out of your own apartment without having to send a maintenance person around and hope you're not at home to argue with.
  - samcheng 6y ago
    That sounds like an illegal eviction to me. Even in the event of a court-ordered eviction, the landlord is required to give you access to your possessions.
    - reaperducer 6y ago
      That sounds like an illegal eviction to me Just because it's illegal doesn't mean it doesn't happen. There's a reason why housing courts are backed up for months.
- toomuchtodo 6y ago
  > Tenants have substantial legal protections This is not universally true, and varies state by state (and even city by city).
  - whisps 6y ago
    Additionally, tenants are often unaware of their rights and don't exert them for that reason. Others are aware of their rights but don't have the resources to fight if their landlord violates those rights.
    - vertex-four 6y ago
      And because a part of renting your next place often involves a letter saying you were a model tenant from your last place, asserting your rights can lead to severe difficulties and potentially homelessness.
- ralphc 6y ago
  If you're worried about remotely letting a housekeeper into your place, this article isn't about you.
KorematsuFred 6y ago
Very one sided discourse that paints landlords as some kind of evil monsters. In reality a landlord is like nay other businessman who has taken substantial risk to provide roof over your head, obviously for a profit. No landlord is interested in screwing you, they are interested in having some profit margin. One bad tenant can wipe out years of profits.
fallingfrog 6y ago
I learned recently that until 1973, a woman in France had to get written permission from her husband before taking a job. Now, one might argue that maybe she should have picked a nicer husband if that’s a problem. But in hindsight it’s clear that whether her husband is a nice guy is beside the point; he shouldn’t have that power over his wife. The power is the problem. By the same token, most landlords are totally decent people, but that is not the point- the power relationship of having a landlord in a position to exploit their tenants is still a problem. The landlord accumulates profit and real estate value every year; the tenants stay poor and every year they pay more and more of their wages just to have a roof over their heads. But it’s not the fault of any individual. It’s the nature of the relationship.

26 points by sharkweek 6y ago

Pretty sure a lot of these landlords are deploying technology in a bid to compete for tenants, not screw them over. For example, an app-based (or even biometric) entry system reduces the number of times I get locked out after forgetting my keys. Smart locks let me open the door remotely for a housekeeper or maintenance person. Tenant screening technology is really no different from the credit report that landlords run already. Tenants have substantial legal protections, which have been extended further during COVID-19. As such, it does feel like the balance of power is shifting toward tenants, not away from them. There are definitely crappy landlords out there, but IMO identifying them from their crappy behavior, rather than their investment into technology, is a better mechanism. Has anyone built a Yelp for apartment buildings?

fragmede 6y ago
Why not both? Digital-only locks mean that the landlord can lock you out of your own apartment without having to send a maintenance person around and hope you're not at home to argue with.
- samcheng 6y ago
  That sounds like an illegal eviction to me. Even in the event of a court-ordered eviction, the landlord is required to give you access to your possessions.
  - reaperducer 6y ago
    That sounds like an illegal eviction to me Just because it's illegal doesn't mean it doesn't happen. There's a reason why housing courts are backed up for months.
toomuchtodo 6y ago
> Tenants have substantial legal protections This is not universally true, and varies state by state (and even city by city).
- whisps 6y ago
  Additionally, tenants are often unaware of their rights and don't exert them for that reason. Others are aware of their rights but don't have the resources to fight if their landlord violates those rights.
  - vertex-four 6y ago
    And because a part of renting your next place often involves a letter saying you were a model tenant from your last place, asserting your rights can lead to severe difficulties and potentially homelessness.
ralphc 6y ago
If you're worried about remotely letting a housekeeper into your place, this article isn't about you.

KorematsuFred 6y ago

Very one sided discourse that paints landlords as some kind of evil monsters. In reality a landlord is like nay other businessman who has taken substantial risk to provide roof over your head, obviously for a profit. No landlord is interested in screwing you, they are interested in having some profit margin. One bad tenant can wipe out years of profits.

fallingfrog 6y ago

I learned recently that until 1973, a woman in France had to get written permission from her husband before taking a job. Now, one might argue that maybe she should have picked a nicer husband if that’s a problem. But in hindsight it’s clear that whether her husband is a nice guy is beside the point; he shouldn’t have that power over his wife. The power is the problem. By the same token, most landlords are totally decent people, but that is not the point- the power relationship of having a landlord in a position to exploit their tenants is still a problem. The landlord accumulates profit and real estate value every year; the tenants stay poor and every year they pay more and more of their wages just to have a roof over their heads. But it’s not the fault of any individual. It’s the nature of the relationship.