No Mercy: The New World of Renting and the Rise of RentTech
Uniting Communities and CSI Flinders University conducted a research project examining the impact of automated decision making (ADM) and artificial intelligence (AI) on vulnerable populations. The project explored how these technologies influence everyday life and emphasised the importance of mechanisms to scrutinise their effects particularly on marginalised groups who often have limited power or voice in their communities.
Through this partnership, we undertook preliminary research into how ADM was affecting the people and communities served by Uniting Communities. We focused on one critical area of community service: supporting individuals in securing rental accommodation.
Our findings revealed that ADM and AI were increasingly used in the rental market to collect and aggregate data. RentTech platforms created applicant profiles using data directly submitted by renters, and in some cases, from external sources like social media. This data was then used by agents and landlords to assess applicants’ suitability often through opaque and unregulated processes.
We focused on this area due to the ongoing housing crisis in Australia. Many individuals and families were experiencing housing stress, facing discrimination and struggling to access tenancies. Stakeholders reported that these technologies were reshaping interactions with property managers, introducing new barriers such as limited transparency and gatekeeping even at the stage of viewing a property.
Our interviews with renters and community sector workers highlighted widespread confusion and concern. Many renters found RentTech systems difficult to understand and navigate, and described them as biased, discriminatory and lacking in accountability. There was also a notable absence of published research on the broader implications of ADM in housing and other sectors.
The study identified five key concerns:
- Algorithmic bias resulting in discrimination based on race, gender, income source and other factors.
- Excessive and intrusive data collection, raising serious privacy issues.
- Navigational difficulties, especially for older renters and those with limited digital literacy.
- A lack of transparency in decision-making with renters unable to access feedback on rejected applications.
- A forced reliance on opaque systems due to limited alternatives in a competitive rental market.
These issues disproportionately affect vulnerable populations and risked deepening existing inequalities in housing access. The research concluded with a call for stronger regulation and oversight of RentTech platforms, improved transparency in automated decision-making and enhanced protections for renters’ data privacy.
During the research period the project made submissions to:
The project made a variety of contributions to media including:
- Unchecked AI Is A Risk We Can't Take
- Robodet Is Just One Reason Why We Should Be Worried About AI
- Data for Good: Exploring the rise and impact of artificial intelligence on the social sector
The research project is now closed and the final report is available here