RentTech Platforms Risking Privacy in Victoria, New Report Finds
A new report from the Consumer Policy Research Centre reveals that RentTech platforms in Victoria may be circumventing recently introduced standard rental application laws. The findings highlight severe power imbalances and data privacy concerns for tenants navigating the modern rental market.
RentTech platforms operating across Victoria, Australia, are potentially circumventing new state laws designed to protect tenant privacy by continuing to request excessive personal information from applicants. These concerning findings were revealed in a comprehensive report published on Thursday by the Consumer Policy Research Centre, a prominent non-governmental organization dedicated to consumer advocacy and policy research.
The investigation comes in the wake of regulatory changes introduced in March, when Victoria established a new standard rental application form specifically created to limit the amount of personal information that landlords and property managers can request from prospective renters. However, according to the new CPRC research, digital rental technology platforms are still pushing boundaries and collecting data that may exceed these legal intentions.
To arrive at these conclusions, researchers from the Consumer Policy Research Centre conducted a detailed review of six distinct RentTech platforms over a multi-month period, spanning from November 2025 to March 2026. This thorough examination of digital application processes exposed how technology companies navigate regulatory frameworks while continuing to gather vast amounts of consumer data from vulnerable renters.
Chandni Gupta, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Consumer Policy Research Centre, emphasized the inherent difficulties consumers face when trying to understand the full scope of digital data collection. Gupta stated that it is really difficult to ascertain how that data will be used for or against you and whether it might exclude you from the actual rental process, or whether it might even expose you to personalised particular products and services outside of that.
Addressing the broader industry behavior regarding regulatory compliance, Gupta also pointed out the limitations of corporate self-regulation within the technology sector. Gupta noted that big tech will move the needle just enough and will narrowly follow, but likely won’t offer that same service outside of where there’s no obligations to do so.
Furthermore, the CPRC Deputy Chief Executive Officer highlighted the systemic disadvantages tenants face when interacting with these digital gatekeepers during their search for housing. Gupta explained that there’s a power imbalance between renters and the platforms they have to use because pushing back or finding an alternative is not an option.
