Why should renters like me have to trade away our privacy just to get a roof over our heads? | Samantha Floreani
Publish Date: 2026-02-01 23:30:00
Source Domain: www.theguardian.com
Would you trade your data privacy and security for housing? Thanks to the rise in real estate technologies, renters often have no choice but to hand over huge amounts of revealing information to digital third parties just to have somewhere to live. All the while we are told: trust us, we take your privacy seriously.
But recent Guardian reporting has revealed that seven popular “rent-tech” platforms have serious security vulnerabilities, leaving millions of documents containing personal information of renters exposed on the open web for years. When they were alerted to the risk, only two of the seven companies responded to say they would put additional security measures in place. Is this what taking renter privacy seriously looks like?
Renters now interact with technologies at every stage of their housing experience: from submitting applications online, to the day-to-day activities of paying rent though apps, logging maintenance requests through digital portals, and being pushed to communicate with chatbots. Some even prompt renters to pay extra to store their data for longer periods. These technologies promise increased profit for landlords and improved efficiency for real estate agents, but what about the renters?
Over the course of my research examining technology platforms in Australia’s private rental sector, I have spoken with numerous renters who have recounted frustrated feelings of being forced to use these platforms, of feeling minimal convenience benefits at best, and of serious concerns about their privacy and digital security. It now seems that those exact fears have come true.
Whenever I apply for a rental, I am astounded by the sheer volume of information about my life that I have to provide: identity documents, years of living and employment history, financial details, and who knows what kind of information collected about me through reference checks. After moving in, the data collection continues with property management platforms storing…
