4 ms·

I Built a Free Tool to Help Tenants Push Back on Landlord Issues

7 points by defendmyrent 2y ago

defendmyrent 2y ago
A few months ago, my landlord held onto my security deposit for over two months. I sent a demand letter, and the next day, the money was in my account. That got me thinking: why isn’t there an easy way for tenants to deal with stuff like this? So, I built a free tool that helps tenants push back on unfair fees, security deposit disputes, and other landlord issues. It’s based on state-specific legal knowledge and your lease terms, and it generates demand letters to make the process straightforward. You can even pick the tone—polite or firm. It’s been cool to see results. Someone in NY used it to get their $4,000 security deposit back from their landlord recently. It’s free to use, and I’d love feedback to keep improving it and evolve it into more of a business rather than just a tool: DefendMyRent.com.
theLegionWithin 2y ago
so it's like a front-end UI for an LLM? it's an interesting idea for sure - for the business end of things I can see you developing it into a consultation type thing but I suspect that the window of opportunity is short. LLM use-cases are becoming more ubiquitous every day (as is market saturation).
- defendmyrent 2y ago
  Thanks for the feedback! It’s not exactly a front-end UI for an LLM—it’s a tool designed to handle the tedious but important steps tenants often skip when dealing with landlords. For example, it can help tenants find the market rate for nearby apartments to push back on rent increases or calculate if a rent increase in California exceeds the legal limit (e.g., under the Tenant Protection Act of 2019, annual increases are capped at 5% plus local inflation) and cite the relevant laws. I’d describe it as a more accessible alternative to consulting a lawyer, tackling the frustrating details tenants don’t always know how to address. What type of consultations were you thinking? Curious to hear your thoughts!

7 points by defendmyrent 2y ago

A few months ago, my landlord held onto my security deposit for over two months. I sent a demand letter, and the next day, the money was in my account. That got me thinking: why isn’t there an easy way for tenants to deal with stuff like this? So, I built a free tool that helps tenants push back on unfair fees, security deposit disputes, and other landlord issues. It’s based on state-specific legal knowledge and your lease terms, and it generates demand letters to make the process straightforward. You can even pick the tone—polite or firm. It’s been cool to see results. Someone in NY used it to get their $4,000 security deposit back from their landlord recently. It’s free to use, and I’d love feedback to keep improving it and evolve it into more of a business rather than just a tool: DefendMyRent.com.

theLegionWithin 2y ago

so it's like a front-end UI for an LLM? it's an interesting idea for sure - for the business end of things I can see you developing it into a consultation type thing but I suspect that the window of opportunity is short. LLM use-cases are becoming more ubiquitous every day (as is market saturation).

defendmyrent 2y ago
Thanks for the feedback! It’s not exactly a front-end UI for an LLM—it’s a tool designed to handle the tedious but important steps tenants often skip when dealing with landlords. For example, it can help tenants find the market rate for nearby apartments to push back on rent increases or calculate if a rent increase in California exceeds the legal limit (e.g., under the Tenant Protection Act of 2019, annual increases are capped at 5% plus local inflation) and cite the relevant laws. I’d describe it as a more accessible alternative to consulting a lawyer, tackling the frustrating details tenants don’t always know how to address. What type of consultations were you thinking? Curious to hear your thoughts!