LLM_Engineering_OLD/week1/community-contributions/AI_Property_Assistant/README.md

AI Property Rental Assistant

A Python tool that scrapes UK property rental listings and uses OpenAI's GPT-4o-mini to provide personalized property recommendations based on your requirements.

What It Does

• Scrapes property listings from OnTheMarket.com
• Uses AI to analyze properties against your specific needs
• Provides smart recommendations with reasons why properties match
• Works for any UK location (currently configured for Durham)

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Python 3.7+
• OpenAI API key (Get one here)

Installation

1. Install required packages:

   pip install requests beautifulsoup4 openai python-dotenv ipython
   

2. Set up your API key:

   Create a .env file in the same directory as your script:

   OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_api_key_here
   

3. Run the script:

   python your_script_name.py
   

How to Use

Basic Usage

The script is pre-configured to search for student housing in Durham. Just run it and you'll get AI-powered recommendations!

Customizing Your Search

Change the location:

website_url = "https://www.onthemarket.com/to-rent/property/manchester/"

Update your requirements:

user_needs = "I'm a young professional looking for a 1-bedroom flat in Manchester under £1,000/month"

Example Requirements You Can Use:

• "Student looking for shared accommodation under £600/month"
• "Family needing 3-bedroom house with garden under £1,500/month"
• "Professional couple wanting modern 2-bed apartment near city center"

Configuration

Supported Cities

Replace durham in the URL with any UK city:

• london - London properties
• manchester - Manchester properties
• birmingham - Birmingham properties
• leeds - Leeds properties
• bristol - Bristol properties

AI Behavior

The system prompt is configured for UK rentals but you can modify it in the system_prompt variable to:

• Focus on specific property types
• Emphasize certain features (parking, garden, etc.)
• Target different tenant types (students, families, professionals)

Example Output

Website Title: Properties to rent in Durham - OnTheMarket
Content Length: 15847 characters

==================================================
RENTAL RECOMMENDATIONS:
==================================================

# Property Recommendations for Durham

Based on your requirements for a 2-bedroom student property under £2,000/month, here are my top recommendations:

## 1. **Student House on North Road** - £1,600/month
- **Bedrooms:** 2
- **Perfect because:** Well within budget, popular student area
- **Features:** Close to university, furnished, bills included

## 2. **Modern Apartment City Centre** - £1,400/month  
- **Bedrooms:** 2
- **Perfect because:** Great location, modern amenities
- **Features:** Parking space, balcony, near shops

Requirements

Create a requirements.txt file:

requests>=2.28.0
beautifulsoup4>=4.11.0
openai>=1.0.0
python-dotenv>=0.19.0
ipython>=8.0.0

Install with: pip install -r requirements.txt

Important Notes

API Costs

• Uses GPT-4o-mini model (very affordable - ~$0.001 per request)
• Monitor usage at: https://platform.openai.com/usage

Rate Limits

• Free OpenAI accounts: 3 requests per minute
• The script makes 1 request per run

How It Works

1. Web Scraping: Downloads the property listing page
2. Text Extraction: Cleans HTML and extracts property information
3. AI Analysis: Sends your requirements + property data to GPT-4
4. Smart Recommendations: AI filters and ranks properties with explanations

Troubleshooting

"No API key found"

• Make sure .env file exists in the same folder as your script
• Check the API key has no extra spaces
• Verify it starts with sk-proj-

"Error fetching website"

• Check your internet connection
• Try a different city URL
• Some websites may temporarily block requests

No good recommendations

• Try adjusting your budget or requirements
• Check if the website loaded properly (look at content length)
• Try a different city with more properties

Possible Improvements

• Make it interactive (ask for user input)
• Support multiple property websites
• Add price tracking over time
• Include property images in analysis
• Create a simple web interface

Disclaimer

This tool is for educational purposes. Always verify property information directly with landlords or estate agents. Respect website terms of service.

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Need help? Check that your .env file is set up correctly and you have an active internet connection. The script will tell you if there are any issues with your API key!