samantha floreani
@floreani.bsky.social
digital rights advocate / writer / PhD candidate researching tech + housing justice 🏠 surveillance isn't safety xoxo
samanthafloreani.com
samanthafloreani.com
and let's be real, landlords do not "provide" housing. they extract rent from housing.
November 6, 2025 at 1:56 AM
and let's be real, landlords do not "provide" housing. they extract rent from housing.
at the heart of this is a cognitive dissonance between landlords wanting to be perceived as a benevolent source of shelter, and the reality that they see housing as an asset from which they can accumulate wealth
November 6, 2025 at 1:56 AM
at the heart of this is a cognitive dissonance between landlords wanting to be perceived as a benevolent source of shelter, and the reality that they see housing as an asset from which they can accumulate wealth
80k word thesis brought to you by a three year rage-blackout induced by spending too long in the middle of a cursed venn diagram of technology, capitalism and landlords, yeehaw
October 28, 2025 at 3:02 AM
80k word thesis brought to you by a three year rage-blackout induced by spending too long in the middle of a cursed venn diagram of technology, capitalism and landlords, yeehaw
oh yeah of course I'm sure that many in that 1267 pool do not actually have a heater. very useful search functionality! super accurate, really helpful!
October 25, 2025 at 5:10 AM
oh yeah of course I'm sure that many in that 1267 pool do not actually have a heater. very useful search functionality! super accurate, really helpful!
are agents just not filling out the listing form properly (probably?), or are there 1267 rentals without heating in Melbourne (also probably)
October 25, 2025 at 4:40 AM
are agents just not filling out the listing form properly (probably?), or are there 1267 rentals without heating in Melbourne (also probably)
haha well I think lots of renters don't put their pets down on applications because of exactly this. but also, lots of online application platforms do ask if you have kids!
October 25, 2025 at 4:17 AM
haha well I think lots of renters don't put their pets down on applications because of exactly this. but also, lots of online application platforms do ask if you have kids!
anyway I don't live in NSW but I love to write to NSW Fair Trading on a Saturday!! 💅
October 25, 2025 at 4:15 AM
anyway I don't live in NSW but I love to write to NSW Fair Trading on a Saturday!! 💅
And what makes me feel insane about this is that realestate.com.au itself acknowledges that tenants with pets "face battle when looking for property despite legislation change" in this article about Victoria. So...change your search functionality??
Tenants with pets face battle when looking for property despite legislation change - realestate.com.au
Victoria’s Residential Tenancies Act was altered two years ago to make it easier for pet owners to rent, but Second Chance Animal Rescue says tenants with dogs and cats still face an uphill battle.
www.realestate.com.au
October 25, 2025 at 3:58 AM
And what makes me feel insane about this is that realestate.com.au itself acknowledges that tenants with pets "face battle when looking for property despite legislation change" in this article about Victoria. So...change your search functionality??
Renters who are trying to 'do the right thing' by being up front about having a pet and use this search functionality are disadvantaged in an already extremely tight rental market
October 25, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Renters who are trying to 'do the right thing' by being up front about having a pet and use this search functionality are disadvantaged in an already extremely tight rental market
Anyway, all this to say: improvements to rental laws are all good and well but only work if they're enforced, and many landlord technologies like online listing sites, application platforms and rent payment apps continue to find ways to undermine moves to improve renters' rights
October 25, 2025 at 3:52 AM
Anyway, all this to say: improvements to rental laws are all good and well but only work if they're enforced, and many landlord technologies like online listing sites, application platforms and rent payment apps continue to find ways to undermine moves to improve renters' rights
Another example was that despite a requirement to offer a free-free way to pay rent, many rent payment platforms push renters towards paying a fee through manipulative design or making the free option unreasonably inconvenient
October 25, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Another example was that despite a requirement to offer a free-free way to pay rent, many rent payment platforms push renters towards paying a fee through manipulative design or making the free option unreasonably inconvenient
A few years ago I argued (alongside @grugstan.bsky.social + @drwaus.bsky.social) that some RentTech platforms were doing regulatory evasion by design. For example, online application platforms that have an editable rent amount field circumvent existing prohibitions on soliciting rent bids
October 25, 2025 at 3:42 AM
A few years ago I argued (alongside @grugstan.bsky.social + @drwaus.bsky.social) that some RentTech platforms were doing regulatory evasion by design. For example, online application platforms that have an editable rent amount field circumvent existing prohibitions on soliciting rent bids
Just two historically accurate besties!!!
October 24, 2025 at 5:49 AM
Just two historically accurate besties!!!
what if we kissed at the VCAT hearing 🥺
October 24, 2025 at 5:37 AM
what if we kissed at the VCAT hearing 🥺
fair! I had to stick around to get the mandatory training hours 🙃
October 23, 2025 at 9:31 AM
fair! I had to stick around to get the mandatory training hours 🙃