My landlord just text us that they are replacing all deadbolts with a mandatory "Smart App" starting Monday. No other option and they are actually charging us a monthly tech fee for it!
I have lived in this building for three years and it has always been pretty chill until the new owner took over and started looking for ways to squeeze another "revenue stream" from us. We always had perfectly normal deadbolts that worked fine. This morning we all got an automated email saying that starting Monday all physical keys will be deactivated and we must download an app to access our units. If that wasnt enough the email also mentions that there will be a mandatory fifteen dollar technology convenience fee added to our rent portals to cover the software licensing and maintenance of the digital access system. It is literally a subscription service just to enter my own home.
I tried talking to the building manager about it and she just gave me some rehearsed line about how it increases property security and that the lease allows for upgrades at their discretion. It is such a blatant money grab because he probably gets a kickback from the tech company and then makes us pay for the privilege of being tracked every time we lock our doors. I already looked at the app and the privacy policy is a nightmare. This whole situation is making me feel unsafe and targeted in my own home. I am already struggling with the yearly rent hikes and now I have to pay another fifteen bucks just to get past my own front door. If I dont pay the fee or if my phone dies I am basically locked out. These people are actual leeches and I am so tired of them trying to monetize every corner of our lives.