Claimed Properties, Fraud, & Frustration
Product Designer
UX/UI
Overview
After review, a clear majority of support calls were about claimed properties. This led to a critical flaw when property owners were blocked within minutes of signing up, leading to loss of business.
Challenges
Landlords trying to add their properties to Rentler were often blocked by “already claimed” issues, resulting in 8,571 support tickets, lost customers, and wasted support hours.
Process
Through discovery, interviews, and prototyping, I identified why accounts were blocked, explored possible solutions, and repurposed our underutilized support admin tool to streamline fraud detection while still allowing users to progress.
Impact
The updated admin process saved countless support hours, reduced fraud attempts, and unblocked legitimate landlords—allowing Rentler to retain business and strengthen trust with both landlords and tenants.
Challenges
Request
Enable landlords to add properties, create listings, and quickly rent to tenants.
Unforeseen Problems
Landlords were blocked within 10 minutes of signing up due to duplicate property claims.
8,571 tickets had been logged, handled by only 3 support agents.
Rentler lost landlords (including big management companies) to competitors.
Fraudsters exploited free listings and duplicate accounts to scam users.
Process
The Process Explained
Step 1 – Discovery
Sat near support reps and overheard repeated calls about “claimed properties.”
Confirmed with ticket data: 8,571 logged cases tied to property claim issues.
Conducted interviews with internal teams and landlords to validate findings.
Step 2 – Exploring Solutions
Considered transferring accounts → rejected due to data sensitivity and cost.
Considered changing profile info → rejected due to system limitations.
Proposed allowing flagged users to move forward but blocking publishing/payments until reviewed → accepted as feasible and effective.
Step 3 – Prototyping & Implementation
Repurposed the underutilized support admin system originally built for fraud.
Added lightweight features to flag duplicate claims, hold publishing, and streamline review.
Prioritized functionality over aesthetics due to roadmap constraints.
Impact
Impact Created
Metrics
8,571 support tickets addressed with a scalable solution.
Freed up 3 support agents to handle higher-priority issues.
Reduced account abandonment and landlord churn.
Learnings
Fraud prevention doesn’t have to come at the cost of user experience.
Repurposing existing systems can deliver outsized results with minimal engineering.
Small discoveries (like overhearing support calls) can uncover systemic issues.
In Closing
Outcome
The reorganized admin system allowed landlords to move forward while protecting Rentler against fraud. Support could now scan, analyze, and resolve flagged cases faster, creating a smoother onboarding experience for legitimate users and restoring trust in the platform.
More Works
©
2025
Claimed Properties, Fraud, & Frustration
Product Designer
UX/UI
Overview
After review, a clear majority of support calls were about claimed properties. This led to a critical flaw when property owners were blocked within minutes of signing up, leading to loss of business.
Challenges
Landlords trying to add their properties to Rentler were often blocked by “already claimed” issues, resulting in 8,571 support tickets, lost customers, and wasted support hours.
Process
Through discovery, interviews, and prototyping, I identified why accounts were blocked, explored possible solutions, and repurposed our underutilized support admin tool to streamline fraud detection while still allowing users to progress.
Impact
The updated admin process saved countless support hours, reduced fraud attempts, and unblocked legitimate landlords—allowing Rentler to retain business and strengthen trust with both landlords and tenants.
Challenges
Request
Enable landlords to add properties, create listings, and quickly rent to tenants.
Unforeseen Problems
Landlords were blocked within 10 minutes of signing up due to duplicate property claims.
8,571 tickets had been logged, handled by only 3 support agents.
Rentler lost landlords (including big management companies) to competitors.
Fraudsters exploited free listings and duplicate accounts to scam users.
Process
The Process Explained
Step 1 – Discovery
Sat near support reps and overheard repeated calls about “claimed properties.”
Confirmed with ticket data: 8,571 logged cases tied to property claim issues.
Conducted interviews with internal teams and landlords to validate findings.
Step 2 – Exploring Solutions
Considered transferring accounts → rejected due to data sensitivity and cost.
Considered changing profile info → rejected due to system limitations.
Proposed allowing flagged users to move forward but blocking publishing/payments until reviewed → accepted as feasible and effective.
Step 3 – Prototyping & Implementation
Repurposed the underutilized support admin system originally built for fraud.
Added lightweight features to flag duplicate claims, hold publishing, and streamline review.
Prioritized functionality over aesthetics due to roadmap constraints.
Impact
Impact Created
Metrics
8,571 support tickets addressed with a scalable solution.
Freed up 3 support agents to handle higher-priority issues.
Reduced account abandonment and landlord churn.
Learnings
Fraud prevention doesn’t have to come at the cost of user experience.
Repurposing existing systems can deliver outsized results with minimal engineering.
Small discoveries (like overhearing support calls) can uncover systemic issues.
In Closing
Outcome
The reorganized admin system allowed landlords to move forward while protecting Rentler against fraud. Support could now scan, analyze, and resolve flagged cases faster, creating a smoother onboarding experience for legitimate users and restoring trust in the platform.
More Works
©
2025
Claimed Properties, Fraud, & Frustration
Product Designer
UX/UI
Overview
After review, a clear majority of support calls were about claimed properties. This led to a critical flaw when property owners were blocked within minutes of signing up, leading to loss of business.
Challenges
Landlords trying to add their properties to Rentler were often blocked by “already claimed” issues, resulting in 8,571 support tickets, lost customers, and wasted support hours.
Process
Through discovery, interviews, and prototyping, I identified why accounts were blocked, explored possible solutions, and repurposed our underutilized support admin tool to streamline fraud detection while still allowing users to progress.
Impact
The updated admin process saved countless support hours, reduced fraud attempts, and unblocked legitimate landlords—allowing Rentler to retain business and strengthen trust with both landlords and tenants.
Challenges
Request
Enable landlords to add properties, create listings, and quickly rent to tenants.
Unforeseen Problems
Landlords were blocked within 10 minutes of signing up due to duplicate property claims.
8,571 tickets had been logged, handled by only 3 support agents.
Rentler lost landlords (including big management companies) to competitors.
Fraudsters exploited free listings and duplicate accounts to scam users.
Process
The Process Explained
Step 1 – Discovery
Sat near support reps and overheard repeated calls about “claimed properties.”
Confirmed with ticket data: 8,571 logged cases tied to property claim issues.
Conducted interviews with internal teams and landlords to validate findings.
Step 2 – Exploring Solutions
Considered transferring accounts → rejected due to data sensitivity and cost.
Considered changing profile info → rejected due to system limitations.
Proposed allowing flagged users to move forward but blocking publishing/payments until reviewed → accepted as feasible and effective.
Step 3 – Prototyping & Implementation
Repurposed the underutilized support admin system originally built for fraud.
Added lightweight features to flag duplicate claims, hold publishing, and streamline review.
Prioritized functionality over aesthetics due to roadmap constraints.
Impact
Impact Created
Metrics
8,571 support tickets addressed with a scalable solution.
Freed up 3 support agents to handle higher-priority issues.
Reduced account abandonment and landlord churn.
Learnings
Fraud prevention doesn’t have to come at the cost of user experience.
Repurposing existing systems can deliver outsized results with minimal engineering.
Small discoveries (like overhearing support calls) can uncover systemic issues.
In Closing
Outcome
The reorganized admin system allowed landlords to move forward while protecting Rentler against fraud. Support could now scan, analyze, and resolve flagged cases faster, creating a smoother onboarding experience for legitimate users and restoring trust in the platform.
More Works
©
2025