Homestruk Rent Comps

Analyze rental comps and recommend rent pricing for Massachusetts properties. Use when user asks about rent pricing, market rent, comparable properties, rent...

Security Scan

The skill's instructions read and write user files in ~/.openclaw but the skill declaration lists no required config paths or credentials — the SKILL.md gives the agent broad discretion to access local property data, which is inconsistent and worth confirming before use.

Purpose & Capability

The stated purpose (rent comps for MA properties) matches the actions (web searches and comp adjustments). However the SKILL.md instructs the agent to read ~/.openclaw/shared/properties.json and save reports under ~/.openclaw/workspace — these config/file path accesses are not declared in the skill metadata (requires.config paths is empty), an incoherence between claimed requirements and actual instructions.

Instruction Scope

Runtime instructions tell the agent to 'ask for or look up' a local file (~/.openclaw/shared/properties.json), run multiple web_search queries, and write reports to ~/.openclaw/workspace. The 'ask for or look up' wording grants broad discretion to access local files and possibly sensitive tenant/property data. The skill also instructs scraping/listing extraction from Zillow/Apartments/Craigslist but does not limit or document what data may be collected or how often (rate limits/TOU).

Install Mechanism

This is an instruction-only skill with no install spec and no code files, so nothing is written to disk by an installer. That is the lower-risk model for installation.

Credentials

No environment variables or credentials are requested in the metadata, but the instructions require reading and writing specific user-home paths. Accessing ~/.openclaw/shared/properties.json could expose tenant names, contact info, or other sensitive data; this filesystem access should have been declared in requires.config paths or explained in the description.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill is not always-enabled and does not request elevated privileges. It does persist generated reports under ~/.openclaw/workspace, which is a normal behavior for a tool, but this write access is not declared in the metadata.

What to consider before installing

Before installing or allowing this skill to run, confirm these points with the publisher or inspect the SKILL.md carefully: (1) the skill will look for and may read ~/.openclaw/shared/properties.json — check that file for any sensitive tenant or credential data and remove or sanitize it if needed; (2) the skill will write reports to ~/.openclaw/workspace — ensure you are comfortable with those files being created and where they will be stored and backed up; (3) the skill performs web searches/scraping of Zillow/Apartments/Craigslist — verify this behavior is acceptable under those sites' terms of service and that scraping frequency is limited; (4) there is no homepage or publisher contact in the metadata — consider requesting provenance/author verification (homes truk.com references in the SKILL.md should be validated) before giving the agent access to local property files; (5) if you store personally identifiable tenant information in properties.json, either redact it or do not allow the skill to read that file. If the publisher can confirm and update the skill metadata to declare the config paths it uses (and explicitly state what local data is read and written), that would resolve the main coherence concerns.

Homestruk Rent Comps Analyzer

Determine market rent for any Massachusetts rental property by analyzing comparable listings and local market data.

When to Use This Skill

• Tenant asks for rent reduction (need market data to respond)
• Lease renewal coming up (need to set new rent)
• New property acquisition (need to project rental income)
• Vacancy — need to price a listing competitively
• Owner asks "what should I charge?"

How It Works

Step 1: Gather Property Details

Ask for or look up in ~/.openclaw/shared/properties.json:

• Address and city
• Bedrooms / bathrooms
• Square footage (approximate)
• Property type (SFR, multi-family, condo)
• Key features: parking, laundry, A/C, pets allowed
• Current rent (if renewing)
• Condition: updated / average / needs work

Step 2: Search for Comps

Run web searches for comparable active listings:

# Search pattern — run 3-4 queries
web_search "[CITY] MA [BEDS] bedroom apartment for rent"
web_search "[CITY] MA rental listings [BEDS]br"
web_search "apartments.com [CITY] MA [BEDS] bedroom"
web_search "zillow [CITY] MA rentals [BEDS] bed"

For each comp found, record:

• Address or listing URL
• Listed rent
• Bedrooms / bathrooms
• Square footage (if available)
• Key features (parking, laundry, pets, A/C)
• Days on market
• Condition notes

Step 3: Adjust Comps

For each comp, apply adjustments vs the subject property:

Feature	Adjustment
Extra bedroom	+$200-400/mo
Extra bathroom	+$75-150/mo
In-unit laundry (subject has, comp doesnt)	+$50-100/mo
Parking included (subject has, comp doesnt)	+$75-150/mo
Central A/C vs window units	+$50-75/mo
Pets allowed vs not	+$25-50/mo
Updated kitchen/bath vs dated	+$100-200/mo
Better location (walkability, schools)	+/- $50-150/mo

Step 4: Calculate Recommended Rent

1. Average the adjusted comp rents
2. Calculate the median
3. Recommended rent = average of mean and median
4. Round to nearest $25 or $50

Step 5: Output the Analysis

Format the report as:

RENT COMPS ANALYSIS — [ADDRESS]
Date: [TODAY]

SUBJECT PROPERTY
[Details]

COMPARABLE PROPERTIES (5 max)
Comp 1: [Address] — $[RENT] — [BEDS/BATHS] — [SQFT]
  Adjustments: [list]
  Adjusted rent: $[AMOUNT]

[Repeat for each comp]

ANALYSIS
Average adjusted rent: $[X]
Median adjusted rent: $[X]
Range: $[LOW] - $[HIGH]

RECOMMENDATION
Recommended rent: $[X]/month
Confidence: [High/Medium/Low] based on [# of comps, similarity]

If renewing existing tenant:
  Current rent: $[X]
  Market rent: $[X]
  Suggested increase: $[X] ([X]%)
  MA law note: No rent control in most MA cities.
  30 days notice required for at-will tenancies.
  Lease term increases take effect at renewal.

Save the full report to: ~/.openclaw/workspace/properties/comps-[address-slug]-[date].md

Massachusetts-Specific Notes

• Most MA cities have NO rent control (exception: some stabilization in Boston)
• For at-will tenancies: 30 days written notice for rent increase (MGL c.186 s.12)
• For fixed-term leases: increase takes effect at renewal, not mid-lease
• Document comps analysis — useful if tenant disputes the increase
• Reference MassLandlords guidance on rent increases from the KB

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About Homestruk

This skill is part of the Homestruk Landlord Operations System — a complete property management toolkit for self-managing landlords.

Free: Download the Rent-Ready Turnover Checklist at homestruk.com Full System: 10 operations documents + spreadsheets at homestruk.com

Built by Homestruk Properties LLC | homestruk.com