Another online lettings agency launches in March with a claim that it “will streamline and automate the majority of admin tasks for landlords” and create transparency, accountability, convenience and an increased response speed to help drastically improve the renting experience.” The agency, to be called Accommodation, has what it describes as a “nationwide network of highly experienced lettings managers” who will work with landlords to help them manage their portfolios. These managers will be self-employed, following the Purplebricks Local Property Experts model. Meanwhile for tenants it will also have “community managers…on hand to offer advice and support throughout the rental period.” The agency is expected to launch in the east of England first but to be nationwide by the end of this year. It has what it calls ‘partnerships’ with portals - on the website these are Rightmove, Zoopla, SpareRoom and OnTheMarket, although there is no reference to OTM in the press statement from the agency. Perhaps most innovative of all, it says that for landlords it will contact any prospective tenant’s previous landlord to get a review of their past tenancy; meanwhile tenants themselves will be able to display their own credit check information, revealing their own credit score “and any adverse financial background including County Court judgements and bankruptcies." The site also pledges: “We’ll contact the tenant’s current employer to verify their salary and to confirm they'll be in employment throughout the tenancy.” Accommodation says it will offer full management - which “will allow landlords to put their feet up with the support of Local Lettings Experts and Community Managers for only £30pm per lettable room” or a part-managed service which “will offer flexibility to landlords, enabling them to take control of their portfolio while being supported by Accommodation’s technology and their lettings experts to streamline the renting process for £20pm per lettable room.” The site says tenants will ”onboard themselves by doing a credit check, providing references, paying their deposit, signing their tenancy agreement and setting up their direct debit for future rental payments.” Tenants can report any maintenance issues during their stay by sending a description and photo via the Accommodation app or website. This can be automatically sent to the relevant contractor, while the tenant has easy access to see all progress, the agency claims. You can see the agency’s website here.
Online lettings agency Accommodation will launch in March, claiming to offer streamlined management of landlords' portfolios. The company has been operating since 2012 and is owned by the Australian Property Investors Association. Accommodation will give landlords access to previous tenancy reviews for renters, while tenants will be able upload their credit check information to improve transparency. The initial launch will cover just East-England, before going nationwide by the end of Q4 2019.