How much do property managers really need to know about their residents? Score Assured, a British startup, has created Tenant Assured, a product that scours peoples social media profiles and then sells that information to property managers.
Through Tenant Assured, a property manager asks a prospective tenant to give the service full access to his or her social media profiles, including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The service scans those accounts, including private messages, and then runs that information through analytic software. Tenant Assured then delivers a report on the prospective residents personality traits, friends, interests and financial stress level.
Co-founder Steve Thornhill believes that his product helps property managers and residents alike. Property managers get more information about a possible resident, so they can make a more informed decision. A resident may appreciate letting a manager know more about them than would be revealed from a credit check. But, as the Washington Post points out, the reports reveals information that is protected under the U.S. housing discrimination law, such as the prospective residents age and whether he or she has mentioned pregnancy.
All we can do is give them the information, Thornhill says. Its up to landlords to do the right thing.