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Santa Barbara, CA – As housing becomes increasingly complex and tenant rights remain widely misunderstood, UCSB students have developed LeaseMate, an AI-powered platform that simplifies lease management, improves tenant-property manager communication, and advocates for tenant literacy. In just a few weeks, LeaseMate has grown to nearly 1,000 users in Isla Vista, demonstrating the urgent need for better tools to empower renters.
The Global Tenant Literacy Problem
Lease agreements are long, dense, and often confusing, leading tenants to unknowingly agree to terms that could impact their financial and legal standing. This is not just a local issue—tenant literacy is a global challenge.
Studies show that:
80% of renters don’t fully read their leases.
60% of tenants misunderstand key terms like rent increases, security deposits, and maintenance responsibilities.
Delayed or ignored maintenance requests affect renters worldwide, leaving them in frustrating and even unsafe situations.
“Renters often sign leases without fully understanding them, leaving them vulnerable to unexpected costs, legal disputes, and maintenance neglect,” says Emre Cikisir, LeaseMate Team Lead. “LeaseMate’s goal is to give tenants the tools they need to understand their rights and responsibilities, empowering them to make informed decisions.”
How LeaseMate is Changing the Game
LeaseMate is a first-of-its-kind, AI-powered rental assistant designed to make renting easier, smarter, and more transparent. Key features include:
- AI Chatbot for Lease Questions – Provides instant, context-specific answers so tenants don’t have to sift through pages of legal jargon.
- AI-Powered Maintenance Requests – Troubleshoots small issues before escalating to property managers, reducing unnecessary delays.
- Lease Visualizer – Automatically extracts key lease terms, helping tenants easily find what they need.
- Community Forum – Connects renters to share advice, housing updates, and tenant rights resources.
Expanding Beyond Isla Vista
What started as a UCSB CS Capstone project has quickly gained momentum as a scalable solution for renters everywhere. LeaseMate is designed to be adaptable to any lease, in any city, in any country.
“We believe that every tenant should have access to clear, actionable information about their lease,” says Cikisir. “With LeaseMate, we are not just building an app—we are advocating for tenant literacy as a fundamental right.”
See LeaseMate in Action:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/leasemate-me_leasemate-proptech-realestatetech-activity-7301012110405246979-QULf?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAA4QlS0BDnvbI5HYXmkAK9qTXMtvTPZ9wOk
For more information, visit leasemate.cs.ucsb.edu or email us at leasemate.me@gmail.com