Rental proptech platforms: Changing landlord and tenant power relations in the UK private rental sector?

Abstract

The structure of the UK's private rental sector (PRS) is being disrupted by a new series of rental proptech platforms (RPPs). These start-ups are adopting technologies including artificial intelligence and algorithms which draw upon ever broader datasets to automate and mediate the relationships between tenants and landlords. Only recently have researchers turned to examine new RPPs, which are challenging existing processes within the PRS, through their attempts to digitise all aspects of renting, from a tenant's initial search and application, to end-contract management. This paper seeks to provide two contributions: first, to uncover how platform entrepreneur views of ‘ideal’ tenants shape the algorithms and scripts that run within their start-ups, and how they shift to accommodate the demands of external venture capital funding. Second, it seeks to examine how landlords are falling under the gaze of technological surveillance and automated judgements, as well as tenants, to illustrate how fragmented and uneven data topologies create inequalities through automated ordering and judgements.

A Systematic Review of Technology Innovations in Housing Management in Scotland

“…Comparing traditional industries transformed by platforms also clarifies the mechanisms and pace of change. Additionally, specialized digital platforms enable property owners to connect with other professional and legal service providers to outsource functions such as evictions (Wainwright, 2023). Wainwright’s (2023) case study of rental PropTech platforms in the UK provides an in-depth qualitative understanding of their impacts on tenant-landlord power dynamics.…”

“…Moreover, consensus reverberates around the potential of digital technology and PropTech-based innovation to enhance societal integration and cohesion (Wainwright, 2023). A tangible manifestation of this is the catalytic role of technology in amplifying social solidarity and economic inclusion.…”

“…This paper engages specifically with the emergence of real estate technology management tools such as PropTech (Wainwright, 2023). Rapid digital advancements in real estate have seen a major acceleration in investment and funding since 2019, post the 2008 financial crisis (Wainwright, 2023). The USA has been the topmost investor with the UK and China following closely behind (Siniak et al, 2020).…”

Affordable private rental supply and demand: short-term disruption (2016–2021) and longer-term structural change (1996–2021)

“…They can also quickly obtain information on current asking rents, which may influence their rent-setting decisions (Fields 2022;Sadowski 2020). Proptech can fundamentally alter the relationships between landlords and tenants (Fields 2022;Wainwright 2023) and enables movement of properties into the short-term letting market (Crommelin, Troy et al 2018).…”

Is Digitalization Worth the Hassle? Two cases of Innovation Building Operation and Maintenance

“…Some articles focus on the implications of the use of PropTech solutions to improve the transparency and standardization of the real estate processes [4,5]. Others look at specific technological applications in the real estate sector, such the use of Artificial Intelligence in the rental platforms [6] or the application of Blockchain to implement smart contracts in real estate [7]. On the other hand, the real estate market is well accepting this word for describing all the technologies applied in the real estate and construction sector (e.g., [8], [9]).…”