MEDIA RELEASE

THURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER 2026

Rent Tech: Privacy for VIC, bare minimum for everyone else

Personality tests, dubious rewards programs and dark pattern data grabs

New rental laws regarding Rent Tech platforms have improved privacy protections for renters in Victoria, while the rest of the country has been left behind, according to a new report from the Consumer Policy Research Centre.

The ‘Key to your data’ report found Rent Tech platforms subjecting Australians to personality tests, rewards programs of dubious value and dark patterns attempting to trick Australians into handing over more data than necessary.

“Renting and shelter is a basic necessity – an essential human right that should be held to the highest of standards. When Victoria introduced laws to keep rental applications to the necessities, this was an opportunity for the Rent Tech industry to lift its game across the country.” says Chandni Gupta, Deputy CEO and Digital Policy Director.

“Instead, the rest of Australia got left behind with privacy for Victoria and the bare minimum for everyone else. Rent Tech companies followed the approach that we see all too often from big tech – follow the law in the narrowest terms possible and continue unfair data practices until other jurisdictions catch up.” says Gupta.

The ‘Key to your data’ report found:

• Deceptive tricks and traps: Some rent tech platforms are using online deceptive tricks and traps (known as dark patterns) to pressure people into sharing more information, signing up to paid reward and data storage programs.
• Unnecessary data collection: Personality tests, photos, pet profiles, student details and more.
• PhD level privacy policies: Privacy policies are vague and meaningless, requiring university-level proficiency to read and understand, with terms that have no legal definitions.
• Data sharing: Privacy policies note that renter data can be collected and shared with debt collectors and finance providers.

Consumer Policy Research Centre says inconsistency and too many loopholes are harming renters across the nation when it comes to Rent Tech.

“There are too many tricks and traps present in Rent Tech platforms” says Gupta.

“There’s a major power imbalance for renters on many of these platforms – while you might not technically be required to offer certain information, you’ll be pushed, nudged, encouraged or straight out tricked into giving information against your best interests. There’s no choice here for renters, who can’t just pick another platform – so we need consistent rules and regulation that protects renters”

Consumer Policy Research Centre is calling for reform across the country:

• Match or exceed Victoria’s laws: Victorian rental laws led to an uplift in practices for Victorian renters, but the same platforms in other states and territories largely continued as per usual practices.
• Give guidance to businesses: The property and rental industries lack guidance on selecting and using Rent Tech platforms.
• Reform “personal information” in the Privacy Act: The narrow definition of “personal information” in the Privacy Act has created a significant loophole for Rent Tech platforms to collect, share and use far more information than necessary from renters.
• Consistent privacy protections: The lack of economy wide privacy protections means small agencies and platforms don’t have to meet the higher privacy protections even if they may be handing large data sets.

“Everyone within the rental ecosystem has a role to play in ensuring that the technology used is fair and safe. What was promising in this research was that the agents and property managers we spoke to also wanted to see an uplift in standards. With Rent Tech platforms engaging in pushy sales tactics and big promises, smaller rental agencies in particular need targeted support on managing data and technology that leads to good outcomes for all” says Gupta.

More information, including the full report, is available at: cprc.org.au/key-to-your-data/

Chandni Gupta is available for comment.

Media contact: media@cprc.org.au 0493 539 466