A new artificial intelligence-powered chatbot has been launched in New Zealand to help renters and landlords understand rental laws.
A chatbot called “Tama” can offer advice on everything from how to handle disputes, bond requirements and limits, to health housing requirements.
It will be launched on Monday by Keyhook, a technology company focused on property management.
The creators of the service said Tama would give renters access to better rental advice, and could give landlords very specific responsibilities depending on the type of property.
During user testing, Tama was able to answer numerous questions, both broad and specific.
This allowed us to advise on the maximum amount of security deposit a landlord can demand (4 weeks rent), the maximum number of weeks ahead a landlord can pay a tenant (2 weeks), and a useful distinction between damage and wear and tear.
Mr. Tama also performed well on more specific questions.
Asked whether landlords can claim a security deposit for oil stains on their garages, the company advised landlords they probably could, but that would depend on the original condition of the garage, the type of flooring, and whether it would be considered property damage.
Similarly, the question of whether a landlord can claim a security deposit if a tenant removes carpet because they want to use a wooden floor underneath or appears to have intentionally damaged an appliance received an insightful answer.
Keyhook co-founder and software developer Aaron Rama led the technical side of creating Tama.
He said it’s based on a large language model, but didn’t specify which one.
“We can’t say much about the underlying technology because there are some trade secrets we don’t want to reveal exactly.
“The important thing is that we built several layers on top of these models because, as you know, one of the problems with large language models is that they can be hallucinogenic.”
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Keyhook co-founders Luke Nicholls and Aaron Rama
These layers directed the chatbot to residential tenancy law and ensured that its knowledge base included health housing documents and tenancy court decisions.
“It was a huge effort,” Rama said.
“You can look at the Tenancy Services website or read up on the RTA (Residential Tenancies Act), but it’s basically a bunch of legal jargon, and trying to figure out how to apply it to your situation is the really hard part that I think a lot of people struggle with.”
The more people using Tama, the better it will get, Rama said, because the AI learns which types of responses are most useful.
Examples of large-scale language models available today include the popular ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Amazon’s Titan product.
Originally aimed at addressing the power imbalance between landlords and tenants, Keyhook was founded by Wellington residents Luke Nicholls and Aaron Rama.
After returning to Wellington from San Francisco in 2019, Lama recognized a power imbalance as she navigated the city’s tight rental market.
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AI balls designed to assist tenants and landlords
At the time, lifelong friend Nicholls was managing several rental properties and recognized the need for technology to streamline the rental process and improve communication between the two parties.
The resulting Keyhook app automated many property management tasks, such as tenant service paperwork and rent collection, and provided features such as remote video inspections, maintenance requests, and compliance reminders.
Mr Rama said many landlords appear to be hiring property managers to avoid the complication of offering rentals, which increases costs.
Keyhook subscriptions cost landlords $4.99 per week per property.
Rama said the Key Hook team has now grown to 11 people and more than 1,000 rentals now use the platform.
Tama is intended as a creation of public good. To use it, users need to create a free account. The company said this is to avoid people spamming the AI or abusing it.
