Shelterforce found more than a dozen examples of tenant-serving technology that help renters identify landlords, respond to eviction, fight back against housing discrimination, and more.
Tenants in pockets of the U.S. are using new tech tools to combat landlord abuse, identify hidden property owners, fight eviction, report discrimination, and push for accountability. From Chicago’s Landlord Mapper tool to New York’s Who Owns What to the Tenant Power Toolkit in California, these tenant-serving tech tools leverage public data to expose landlord networks, streamline legal defenses, and connect renters with resources.
For example, in Los Angeles County, about 500 tenants each month file eviction responses using the Tenant Power Toolkit. That represents around 10 percent of the 5,000 evictions typically filed per month in the county. “The tool has really helped give tenants more leverage in the eviction process, and decreased the rate of defaults," says Paul Lanctot, the toolkit’s main programmer.
We spoke with several other tool creators to learn more about how the different types of tech works, the impact the tools have had so far, and whether some tools can be scaled for use in larger geographic areas.
FULL STORY: Tech Tools Help Tenants Push Back Against Problematic Landlords
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Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association