Project: SafeRent (working name) - A Safer Way to Share Rental Experiences
Status: MVP Planning | Open to feedback and collaboration
Category: Civic Tech, Housing, Safety, Community, Anti-Retaliation Tools
Problem: Many renters, especially women, LGBTQIA+ people, immigrants, and others at higher risk of harm or retaliation, have no safe or trustworthy way to share their rental experiences. Traditional landlord review sites often allow landlords to remove critical reviews, lack context for safety issues, fail to protect anonymity, and don’t prioritize vulnerable renters’ needs. Unregulated housing is a silent risk. Renters deserve better.
Solution: SafeRent is a safety-first housing review platform where renters can share honest experiences, report safety risks or retaliation, post anonymously, upload secure proof (never public unless legally required), highlight praise for good landlords, and browse reviews without logging in. Verified users and corroborated claims are prioritized. Landlords may respond publicly but cannot remove content. Moderators ensure legal safety and community tone.
MVP Scope: Personal reviews with safety tags, search by address/landlord, optional photo uploads, landlord responses (tied to reviews), pre-moderation for unverified posts, required answers for code violations: was it reported and was there retaliation?
Legal & Ethical Approach: Firsthand experience only. Region-based launch where factual reviews are protected. Secure metadata never made public. Clear Terms of Use prevent abuse, false claims, or retaliation. Uploaded proof remains private unless legally compelled.
What I’m Looking For: Feedback on scope and legal design, collaborators in housing law or trauma-informed UX, trust system tools, and open discussion on how to protect vulnerable renters without increasing their risk.
Inspired by lived experience and a need for safety that goes beyond ratings. Let’s build something that protects renters without putting them at risk.