Map Lets You Report Landlords Using Tech to Screw over Tenants

Re:Map Lets You Report Landlords Using Tech to Screw over Te... by samcheng on Tuesday August 18, 2020 @01:38PM (#24201652)

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?

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Re:Map Lets You Report Landlords Using Tech to Screw over Te... by fragmede on Tuesday August 18, 2020 @02:01PM (#24201967)

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.

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Re:Map Lets You Report Landlords Using Tech to Screw over Te... by samcheng on Tuesday August 18, 2020 @03:46PM (#24203432)

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.

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Re:Map Lets You Report Landlords Using Tech to Screw over Te... by reaperducer on Tuesday August 18, 2020 @07:30PM (#24205553)

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.

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Re:Map Lets You Report Landlords Using Tech to Screw over Te... by toomuchtodo on Tuesday August 18, 2020 @02:09PM (#24202069)

> Tenants have substantial legal protections

This is not universally true, and varies state by state (and even city by city).

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Re:Map Lets You Report Landlords Using Tech to Screw over Te... by whisps on Tuesday August 18, 2020 @02:16PM (#24202156)

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.

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Re:Map Lets You Report Landlords Using Tech to Screw over Te... by vertex-four on Tuesday August 18, 2020 @03:15PM (#24203026)

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.

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Re:Map Lets You Report Landlords Using Tech to Screw over Te... by ralphc on Tuesday August 18, 2020 @06:15PM (#24204985)

If you're worried about remotely letting a housekeeper into your place, this article isn't about you.

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