Reimagining the rental market: Digital technology in the rental sector
Maalsen’s research focuses on the emerging field of Proptech—technologies and platforms designed for the property sector—and how these innovations impact renting, data collection, and the power dynamics between tenants and landlords.
“There is a broad range of digital platforms, and increasingly AI technologies, being applied across the whole of the housing system,” Maalsen explains.
The rapid growth of digital platforms is transforming how people search for, rent, and manage homes. While these technologies can improve efficiency, they also raise concerns about data and its potential misuse.
Empowering tenants through Proptech
One of Maalsen’s recent major projects, Know Your Landlord, is a creative advocacy tool that demonstrates how Proptech could transform the renter-landlord relationship.
“We created a fictional app called Know Your Landlord, which imagined a world where tenants have as much information on landlords as landlords have on tenants,” says Maalsen.
Through this platform, tenants can access insights about a property's rental history or a landlord’s reputation, making it easier to make informed decisions.
The fictional Know Your Landlord app
By working closely with advocacy groups including Tenants Union of NSW, Tenants Queensland, and Tenants Victoria, Maalsen and the team conceptualised a tool that addresses real challenges tenants face. The project demonstrates the potential of digital tools to improve the rental system by enhancing transparency and challenging power imbalances in the rental market.
Navigating potential pitfalls
Another aspect of Maalsen’s research is exploring how Proptech influences shifts in rental market dynamics. Tenant-focused platforms are frequently bought out by larger property firms, making it challenging for smaller, ethically focused platforms to survive. In a recent paper, Maalsen and her colleagues explore how, through Proptech, housing and technology are being leveraged for profit in new ways, potentially deepening inequalities in the market.
Maalsen’s research also examines digital discrimination, highlighting how Proptech can reinforce existing biases within the rental sector. In another paper, Maalsen and co-authors examine how renter discrimination may arise from, or be exacerbated by, digital technologies. Their findings stress the need for robust regulatory frameworks to protect renters from discrimination and data misuse.
“There is a pervasive debate on tech—some see it as good, others as bad,” reflects Maalsen.
“The reality is it can be both, but if used responsibly, it can help navigate some of the challenges around renting more smoothly."
Building a fairer rental market
Through research, Maalsen and her colleagues are advancing the role of technology in shaping a fairer rental landscape. Her projects explore the potential of technology as a tool for tenant advocacy and protection, while also underscoring the need for thoughtful, responsible development.
While there is great potential in Proptech, Maalsen emphasises that these tools alone cannot solve the housing crisis. Her research highlights the need for systemic policy reform alongside technological innovation, as the root causes of housing issues go beyond what technology alone can address.
“Technology and AI are not going to solve the housing crisis,” she states. “That will be done through changes to policy and by removing tax incentives that encourage housing as a site of investment rather than as a home.”
“However, these technologies have potential to make different parts of the housing system operate more smoothly and assist people in new ways.”
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