We’ve published an article on real estate agents forcing tenants to use third-party apps to make rental payments and repair requests, despite this being illegal in a number of states and territories.
Concerns around the apps include high fees, potential privacy issues including data sharing and vested interests in app ownership. Check out the story below:
We had this problem..Ray White tried to pressure is into using Ailo but we stuck to our guns and refused. They have to accept another payment method which in our case was automatic EFT. We did offer to bring in cash once a week but they didn’t seem keen on that idea!! If tenants were just to hold firm and refuse to use these blatant money skimming apps the RE’s would give up on it.
Given the data breaches that have occurred to organisations with much larger cybersecurity teams and budgets, I would not be touching a real-estate or 3rd party real-estate app with a barge pole.
Unfortunately most RE’s will only accept an application to rent after it is submitted through their portal or third party provider. In submitting the application one is likely to have agreed to the agents T&C’s for providing rental payments. Transparency appears to vary.
Many renters are at a disadvantage when it comes to reading and understanding what is intended. If one is lucky enough to be advised you have been accepted as a tenant, who is going to take on an agent over their T&C’s. Most applicants have timelines based on moving out of an existing rental, or other? It might be different when supply (vacancies) are greater than demand..
Choice from research commented,
Despite recent laws introduced across Australian states giving renters the right to say no to using these platforms, many tenants say they are given little choice.
