Home hunting is no different. We all know that today’s renters aren’t just perusing shopfronts and newspapers for properties any more. In fact, recent research from the Voice of the Agent report showed consumers ranked Rightmove as their preferred method for searching for properties, while another study from property giant Zoopla found 60% of homemovers stating they prefer to use a mobile device. 

So, it’s clear renters favour a mobile-first experience. But what about landlords? 

You might be surprised… In this blog, we’ll let you in on 3 key ways using apps can help your letting agency stand out to landlords in a competitive market.

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Let them enjoy a more hands-off investment

We’ll state the obvious: no one (or very few) people invest in property because they want to spend most of their time dealing with tenant maintenance requests. 

In a recent study of over 2,000 landlords, 63% cited “no longer having to deal with repairs” as their main reason for instructing a lettings agency, while 32% of landlords surveyed by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) listed “providing tradespeople” as one of letting agents’ most important services. 

Even more tellingly, in AXA’s study of landlords who opted to go it alone, one lamented that she was “on call 24 hours a day. And having a nightmare with tenants – especially if they didn’t pay rent and [she] had to chase them.” 

It’s fair to say, then, that most landlords on the market for a letting agent want ‘dealing with tenant issues’ firmly off their plate.

You can go one step further, though. How? By offering tenants an app like Street.co.uk’s, you can take convenience to the next level, and offer a tenant service your landlord would be proud of.

Letting agents that offer Street.co.uk’s Tenant App can take care of all tenant queries quickly and efficiently, with reduced touch points across both tenant and landlord. With the app, you can offer tenants mobile maintenance request reporting (complete with live push notification updates) and even set each landlord’s preferred contractors, float amounts and maximum job costs, for completely hands-free approval. 

So, with minimal effort, you can deliver a refreshingly positive tenant experience that has tenants coming back for more – while your landlord sits back and enjoys the hands-off investment they’ve been dreaming of.

Help build positive tenant relationships 

While we’re on the subject of ‘hands-off’ investments… For landlords who want a long-term, low-maintenance tenancy, finding a letting agent who can build a strong relationship with their tenant is crucial. But what does ‘a good tenant experience’ look like? 

It seems to be all about responsiveness, according to The Property Ombudsman, whose recent research demonstrated a spike in complaints from tenants (with “a high level of enquiries and disputes relating to repairs and maintenance”). In response, TPO urged agents to take note of the growing demand for “new customer service channels, like online self-service tools”.

That’s where you come in – with a little help from Street.co.uk’s Tenant App.

Street.co.uk’s Tenant App is the perfect way for letting agents to deliver the convenient, self-serve experience ‘Generation Rent’ is used to from other service providers. 

Keep everyone in the loop, every step of the way, with:

• Instant, self-serve maintenance reporting, complete with photo/video upload – so you can deal with repairs quickly without any back-and-forth.
  
  
• Live maintenance updates via push notifications – so tenants don’t have to call to put their mind at ease.
  
  
• Important tenancy details like rent start and end dates, rent amounts, agent contact details and payment schedules available on-demand, so tenants don’t have to chase you for information.

The happier tenants are with their experience, the more likely they are to renew their tenancy, and the more guaranteed income you can give your landlord. Everyone’s a winner.

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Give landlords peace of mind with full, transparent oversight over their portfolio

Did you know that, when asked why they switched letting agents, 38% of landlords cited “dissatisfaction with the time taken to respond to requests”? And that, when surveyed by The Property Academy, landlords listed “knowledge, listening and responding to questions,” as key qualities they look for in a letting agent?

However, as a busy agent, we all know it can be a challenge to give landlords the level of customer service they’re after.

That’s why, at Street.co.uk, we built a market-leading Landlord App – so your landlords can access the information they need whenever (and wherever) is convenient for them.

With full portfolio visibility at their fingertips, they can check tenancy details, keep tabs on their rental income, and review each property’s fees and service levels in seconds. No more waiting around for answers to important questions – it’s all there, right in the palm of their hand.

Plus, by storing and organising landlord’s important documents like Gas Safety certificates or Rental Agreements in their own secure personal app, you can help them safely navigate increasingly complex red tape and regulations without having to dig through their emails first – something they’ll certainly thank you for.

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Happy landlords and happy tenants? There’s an app for that…

Ultimately, winning new instructions and gaining lifelong business for your agency all comes down to providing an exceptional customer experience. 

Street.co.uk is currently the only CRM that offers a bespoke, white-labelled, native app for both landlords and tenants to help you do just that – no matter who you’re dealing with. 

With Street.co.uk, you don’t have to manually copy data from your CRM into an app.

We built both our tenant and landlord apps to sync perfectly with Street CRM, so all parties can have the full picture, at every step – with no extra admin required from you.

What’s more, with efficient workflows, intuitive self-serve options and all the information both parties could want at a tap, offering Street.co.uk’s apps to your clients can give you back your time, so you can compliment your tech with that all-important human touch when necessary.

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Want to discover how Street.co.uk’s landlord and tenant apps can help you win new instructions? Speak to a member of our team or get in touch for a demo today.

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