Proptech—short for property technology—refers to the integration of digital tools and automation into real estate operations to increase efficiency, transparency, and convenience for all stakeholders. It spans the entire property lifecycle—from construction and leasing to management and investment analytics.
Common proptech applications include:
- Online property management systems (e.g., AppFolio, Yardi)
- AI-powered rent pricing platforms (e.g., RealPage)
- Virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) for design and tours
- IoT-based smart building systems that automate lighting, climate, and security
How Proptech Enables Corporate Landlord Abuse
While proptech promises transparency and automation, its unchecked deployment by large corporate landlords can have the opposite effect—creating opaque systems that exploit tenants, undermine housing affordability, and reduce accountability.
Large property owners use automated billing and communication systems that remove human points of contact. When errors occur—such as false charges or duplicate payments—tenants face endless loops of chatbots and emails. The system becomes a bureaucratic shield, protecting landlords from responsibility.
DOJ Antitrust and Proptech Regulation
The Department of Justice has taken aim at the growing concentration of power among property tech providers for Algorithmic Price-Fixing.
The DOJ’s civil antitrust case against RealPage and several large landlords alleges that: Competitors used a shared algorithm to fix rent prices – and this coordination eliminated market competition and artificially inflated rents nationwide.
Balancing Innovation and Ethics
Proptech can deliver tremendous public benefit—when deployed responsibly. But when used to maximize profit without transparency or fairness, it becomes a tool for systemic housing abuse.
Technology should make housing fairer, not more predatory. As courts and regulators catch up, the challenge will be to preserve the good of proptech—efficiency, insight, access—without allowing it to become a digital weapon against tenants.
Michael Stuart is one of the extraordinarily rare individuals who sits at the intersection of military discipline, real-estate insight, advanced technology expertise, corporate executive experience, and lived understanding of HUD-VASH housing systems.