You can give your landlord the unhinged 1-star review you’ve always dreamt of with this new app
It’s safe to say that landlords aren’t exactly the most beloved bunch. Whether they’re providing incredibly overpriced accommodation, dismissing tenants’ concerns, or are just downright awful, it seems as though it’s almost impossible to find one that’s actually bearable – but that may be about to change.
A pair of tenants who met on Reddit launched a website last week that lets tenants rate their landlords. It’s appropriately titled Rate The Landlord, and has already garnered around 400 landlord reviews.
Somewhat unfairly, tenants often have to disclose personal financial information, provide references from previous landlords and submit credit checks. But landlords get away scot-free, and tenants typically learn very little about the person they’re renting from.
The site is anonymous; users just need to submit the name of their landlord or property management company and the city where they’re based. They’re prompted to leave a rating between one and five for repair, health and safety, rental stability, tenant privacy and respect, and a written review. Finally, renters could be getting a slither of power.
One of the site’s creators (who chose to remain anonymous) told VICE that the site emerged after a number of bad rental experiences. For example, a broken heater started to smoke, leaving burn marks on their wall. When they and their roommates FaceTimed their Toronto landlord to show him the issue, he scolded them for the burn marks and didn’t believe the radiator was broken. They went without heat for two weeks during that winter, they said.
The idea came about a year ago after they began posting about the potential for a landlord rating website on various subreddits. There were rating websites for doctors, restaurants, and retail stores, so a site for rating landlords was only suitable.
The site is currently only available for US and Canadian residents; however, the founder revealed that due to requests, Rate The Landlord might soon allow users from the UK to leave reviews. And given the current rental crisis, it’s looking like we’ll need it.
