Teens Build Free Tool to Find Affordable NYC Apartments

Finding an affordable apartment in New York City shouldn't require a computer science degree, but two teenagers decided to change that reality for thousands of renters.

Beckett Zahedi, 17, and his co-founder Derrick Webster Jr. launched Realer Estate after watching their own families struggle to find housing they could afford. The website combines public data with real estate listings to help users identify below-market and rent-stabilized apartments across America's largest city.

Beckett's algorithm scans and cross-references information online to calculate affordability, factoring in preferences like amenities and price per square foot. Derrick codes email alerts so users know immediately when the algorithm finds them a good match.

"This is basically the tool that my family needed," Beckett told The New York Times. "We'd just see, like, one good apartment a month that we can afford."

While landlords have had technology to raise rents and process payments at the click of a button, tools designed for tenants have lagged behind. These young innovators decided to level the playing field.

The Ripple Effect

The tenant tech revolution isn't stopping in New York. On Canada's Prince Edward Island, a project called My Old Apartment is helping renters fight back against illegal rent increases.

The island has regulated rent increases, meaning landlords who charge above a certain rate must refund the difference. But new tenants had no way to know what previous residents paid, making it easy for landlords to overcharge.

Darcie Lanthier created a solution: a rental registry where people share what they paid for their old apartments. Former tenants fill out an online form, then mail a card to their previous address that reads, "Welcome to my old apartment. Are you paying too much rent?"

The cards include clear instructions on how to file an appeal. The results have been remarkable: 10% of all properties on the island now have a listing in the registry.

Tenants have won every hearing held so far. More than $100,000 in repayments have already been made to people who were overcharged.

These grassroots solutions prove that when institutions fail to protect renters, communities can build their own tools for justice.