Blocklink Housing
Blocklink Housing is a mobile platform that helps Baltimore renters find safe apartments by providing transparent health scores, reviews, and landlord accountability data. Users can search and compare buildings, report housing issues, track landlord performance, and access tenant rights resources — all backed by a community-driven moderation system.
Team structure
Lead
lead
backend-engineer
frontend-engineer
Mission
Build a trusted housing transparency and tenant protection platform app that helps Baltimore residents make safer rental decisions, report housing problems, track landlord accountability, and access housing-related resources. The module should feel modern, secure, community-driven, and mobile-first. PRIMARY USERS: - Renters - Prospective tenants - Housing advocates - Community organizers - Property managers - City inspectors - Nonprofits CORE PROBLEMS TO SOLVE: - Unsafe apartments - Hidden landlord issues - Mold/pest infestations - Delayed repairs - Unclear tenant rights - Housing scams - Lack of transparency - Difficulty tracking complaints - Limited access to trusted housing information TECH STACK: Frontend: - React Native + Expo - TypeScript - NativeWind/Tailwind - React Query - React Navigation Backend: - Supabase - PostgreSQL - Realtime subscriptions - Row-level security Maps: - Mapbox integration Storage: - Supabase Storage for photos/videos/documents AUTHENTICATION: - Email/password - Google login - Anonymous reporting option - Verified tenant badges - Verified landlord badges MAIN FEATURES: 1. APARTMENT SEARCH SYSTEM Allow users to: - Search apartments by address - Search landlords/property managers - View apartment profiles - View building history - View neighborhood statistics Filters: - Price range - Safety score - Transit access - Accessibility - Pet-friendly - Verified properties 2. APARTMENT HEALTH SCORE Generate a dynamic score based on: - Tenant reviews - Maintenance response times - Public code violations - Pest reports - Mold reports - Water/electric outages - Safety complaints Display: - Overall score - Breakdown categories - Trend over time - Confidence level 3. TENANT REVIEWS Users can: - Leave reviews - Upload photos/videos - Tag issues - Rate responsiveness - Describe lease experiences Review categories: - Maintenance - Noise - Safety - Cleanliness - Heating/cooling - Management communication - Building security Include: - Anti-fraud protections - Community moderation - Verified tenant system 4. HOUSING ISSUE REPORTING Allow residents to report: - Mold - Rodents - Heating failures - Water leaks - Unsafe wiring - Elevator outages - Structural damage - Illegal dumping - Broken locks/windows Features: - Photo uploads - Severity tagging - AI categorization - Duplicate detection - Public/private reporting modes - Timeline tracking 5. LANDLORD TRANSPARENCY SYSTEM Create profiles for landlords/property companies showing: - Total properties - Average ratings - Open complaints - Complaint resolution rate - Historical trends - Violation records Include: - Verified ownership system - Response portal for landlords 6. TENANT RIGHTS RESOURCE CENTER Provide: - Baltimore tenant rights guides - Eviction prevention resources - Legal aid contacts - Emergency housing assistance - Rent assistance programs - Utility support programs Features: - Searchable FAQ - AI assistant for housing questions - Multi-language support 7. REALTIME ALERTS Send notifications for: - New reports nearby - Emergency housing issues - Utility outages - Inspection updates - Landlord responses - Housing scam warnings 8. COMMUNITY MAP Interactive map displaying: - Housing complaints - Verified safe buildings - Code violations - Eviction hotspots - Affordable housing resources - Shelters - Legal aid centers Features: - Heatmaps - Clustering - Live updates - Neighborhood filters 9. MODERATION + TRUST SYSTEM Implement: - AI content moderation - Spam detection - Toxicity filtering - Reputation system - Report abuse tools - Community moderators 10. ANALYTICS DASHBOARD For admins/nonprofits/city agencies: - Complaint trends - High-risk buildings - Neighborhood comparisons - Response times - Violation frequency - Housing risk heatmaps 11. ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS - ADA-compliant design - Screen reader support - Large touch targets - Offline capability - Low-bandwidth optimization - Multilingual support DATABASE DESIGN: Generate complete schema for: - users - apartments - landlords - tenant_reviews - housing_reports - violations - photos - neighborhoods - notifications - moderation_flags - reputation_scores - saved_properties - housing_resources API REQUIREMENTS: Generate: - REST or Supabase APIs - Authentication middleware - Rate limiting - File upload handling - Search optimization - Geospatial queries AI FEATURES: Use AI to: - Detect urgent health/safety hazards - Summarize reviews - Classify housing issues - Detect fake reviews - Predict building risk scores UI/UX REQUIREMENTS: - Modern civic-tech design - Trustworthy appearance - Fast-loading feeds - Mobile-first layouts - Card-based apartment profiles - Interactive charts - Smooth animations - Dark/light mode OUTPUT REQUIREMENTS: Generate: 1. Full folder/project structure 2. Database schema 3. API routes 4. React Native screens 5. Core components 6. Supabase setup 7. Example queries 8. Authentication flow 9. Moderation logic 10. AI classification examples 11. Seed data for Baltimore properties/neighborhoods 12. Deployment instructions EXTRA FEATURES: - Apartment comparison tool - Save favorite buildings - Share reports with legal aid - Anonymous whistleblower mode - Emergency repair escalation - Community verification voting