It is impractical today to know if there are trends in the real world. Our news sources track what we read and how long we linger on stories, and mathematical algorithms analyze and proselytize. The computers push content that the math suggests will draw our clicks, hold our attention, please their advertisers, and maximize their platform profits.
Social media is no different. Click on a post that advocates eating avocados, and you will likely see more avocado references. Do a few Google searches for avocado, and that may also drive such a trend.
And none of this is in a vacuum, as the advent of artificial intelligence has accelerated and empowered this process of categorizing and steering us. I recently heard from a friend whose AI research led to various humorous references that suggested such algorithm involvement.
The AI, perhaps, seeks to please the user. Pam Langham is an eminent AI expert and says that LLMs are much like golden retrievers in their drive to please us.
Thus, whether there has been an uptick in landlord/tenant disputes is unclear to me. But clearly, I am seeing more of them in the news recently. Some involve the formerly famous, like Denise Richards, or Mickey Rourke. Those seemingly involve eye-popping dollar figures. Others involve simple people like the rest of us.
The balance of equities is a persistence. There are concerns expressed by landlords, who perceive themselves as being frustrated by laws, regulations, and processes governing the eviction of tenants. Their stories note the challenges of a small property owner, who might require a year or more to reclaim their premises from a tenant who has ceased to pay rent.
There are also advocates who lament the ability of landlords to do as they wish with their property. They see inequity in a tenant being forced to find new accommodations, and particularly with short notice. These find equity and socialistic controls of private property as paramount to mere ownership.
For examples, look to the content of Buzzfeed about landlords, or the subreddit about tenant horror stories. A Google search will find you more examples, accusations, and likely some embellishment and hyperbole on both perspectives and the perceptions of each.
I see the competing interests of property law, contracts, and due process. Those who make policy have to balance the interests of broad constituencies like landlords and tenants. They enact statutes, ordinances, and regulations that govern how the rights of each are recognized and the extent to which they are protected.
It is always possible that policymaking will result in unintended consequences and may shift the rights/burdens analyses in expected or unexpected ways, according to the New York Post. Nonetheless, these articles are about real estate, not workers' compensation. But is the policy process and the balancing of rights and burdens really any different in workers' compensation?
That said, the main connection of the real estate issue is the litigation necessary for eviction. This pertains to expenses associated with the due process of determining how statutes, regulations, and contracts are applied to the tenancy in those properties. This is no different than the process for determining entitlement to worker benefits, and the related expense of both prosecution and defense.
Therefore, it was interesting to read some of the comments readers posted; those below were similar to others. The first commenter, "Lawrence," suggests avoiding the expense of a lawyer and "use AI." He provides advice on what to tell the large language model (LLM) and how wonderful the result will be, complete with "legal terminology and case precedents."
Another commenter, "Ed," responds with the fundamental truth that AI cannot be trusted. He warns of hallucination, ineffective responses, and the potential for tribunal sanctions. He also points out that how laws work often depends on the precise jurisdiction; state laws may differ, and local ordinances may differ even within the same state.
"Jim" jumped in to caution that even the best AI will not "help you think on your feet at a court hearing. Just the opposite."
As I reflected on these, it occurred to me that some who write comments on articles are likely not so well informed ("use AI"), while others are much better informed than some lawyers. See Lazy and Sanctioned (December 2025).
In the end, the whole discussion leads to some broad recommendations. Disputes over property, whether a leased premises or a worker's benefits, will potentially be time-consuming and challenging. Internet chats, article comments, and artificial intelligence are not likely the best places to get legal advice.
