While my gut wants to be all, "eeww! Technology is fucking everything up!", I actually think this is a good thing overall, for a couple of reasons.

Responsibility. A company looking at the numbers is going to be FAR more responsible of a landlord than Joe Landlord. Because you - the renter - are just a number. If the dishwasher isn't working, that lowers the value of the apartment, and makes the entire building marginally less valuable (due to bad word of mouth), the longer it is left unrepaired. Making repairs quickly and professionally costs the company a little money, but the goodwill and reputation is FAR more valuable than putting off the repair until next month, or half-assing it, like Joe Landlord would do.

Market Stability. If the price of apartments is algorithmically defined, then it isn't going to be susceptible to price gouging. If all the 2-bedroom 1-bath 500 sq ft apartments in an specific area are all $1500/month, then it becomes simply availability and personal preference. The rapacious landlord is removed from the process, and his properties sit unfilled, because people want STABILITY in their home. They don't want notices saying rent is going up $500 next month... or MOVE.

I've had so many friends screwed by idiotic, short-sighted, petty landlords. Landlords that make bad decisions that result in their buildings getting black-listed by renters. "Don't rent from Mike Lee. He's an asshole."

It's a way better business decision to have a single tenant for 10 years, with a 10% increase every 2 years, than wildly fluctuating prices, or pricing at the top end, and having constant renter turnover. Algorithms get that. Landlords don't.

Interesting article...