Tenants Win Against Landlord In Battle Of The Smart Locks

Smart locks sound like the perfect gateway to a more connected or smarter home. There are plenty of options out there to choose from and it certainly feels like it could become a more common feature in the future. However, it seems that not everyone is enamored by the tech, so much so that it as led to a lawsuit.

According to a recent lawsuit, it seems that tenants of an apartment building in New York have won against their landlord who wanted to outfit the apartments with a smart lock from Latch. However, some tenants weren’t too thrilled by the idea, citing privacy concerns as being one of the reasons why, and it seems that in a settlement, the landlord has ultimately agreed to give its tenants physical keys instead.

In a statement made by Michael Kozek, the attorney representing the tenants, “This is a huge victory for these tenants and tenants throughout New York City. These types of systems, which landlords have used to surveil, track and intimidate tenants, have been used frequently in New York City. These tenants refused to accept the system, and the negative impact it had on their lives. Hopefully they will be an inspiration for other tenants to fight back.”

This is actually kind of a landmark case as there is currently no legal precedent of legislation over how landlords can use smart home technology, but this should help set the the tone for the future. As we said, there is nothing wrong with tech like smart locks, but perhaps giving tenants the option to choose could have helped to avoid this whole mess.

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