Thousands of renters are being forced to use digital platforms and apps to manage their accommodation even though the technology can demand deeply personal information and charge fees.
Questions in rental apps can range from an applicant's marital status and sexual orientation to their cultural background and bank account balance.
The Consumer Policy Research Centre revealed the findings on Tuesday from a study of Victorian renters that found almost half were being asked to use rental technology platforms.
The study comes after the Victorian government introduced legal changes to strengthen renters' rights, and as rental vacancy rates across Australia remained stubbornly low.
The centre's study, called Renting in Reality, surveyed 1000 renters and 300 landlords in Victoria about their use of and experience with digital rental platforms.
It found almost half of renters (45 per cent) were required to use rental technology and more than half of landlords chose it to manage their properties (58 per cent).
Some consumers were asked to use apps or websites to apply for rental accommodation (23 per cent), while others were forced to use it to log repair requests (25 per cent), pay their rent (21 per cent) or record inspections (14 per cent).
Renters were often given little choice but to use the technology agents or landlords requested, Consumer Policy Research Centre deputy chief executive Chandni Gupta said, and some apps asked highly personal and inappropriate questions.
"We found that 42 per cent of renters were being asked far more information than they should at the rental application stage, from full bank statements to sexual orientation, previous tribunal complaints, medical records to cultural background," she told AAP.
"One of the concerns is that the amount of data that is being harvested can give rise to social profiling and potentially excluding people from being offered a home to rent."
Other concerns highlighted in the report included fees charged to renters to use the digital platforms, and privacy concerns about photos and videos captured during home inspections.
Rental protections introduced in Victoria in early December required further privacy protections and standardised applications which could force change, Ms Gupta said, but renters in other parts of Australia also needed help.
