Property is evolving; with an increasing amount of people ‘choosing’ to rent we need to make sure we can keep up. Property Management needs to improve and it needs to be made ‘easy’, don’t you think? From complaint procedures, payment problems, unexpected maintenance and emergencies etc., the process needs to be streamlined from start to finish.
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article ‘What the HELL is PropTech?’ covering the wider industry but in this article, I focus on some of the innovative ideas specifically designed to improve property management and I would really like to know about your experiences of using them, so far.
Re-Leased, a cloud-based property management software that makes life easier for managers and owners of all types of properties. Founded in 2012 by Tom Wallace, Re-Leased helps thousands of owners and property managers across the world run their property business in the cloud. Tom experienced the frustrations of managing property and tenants using outdated software, excel spreadsheets and email; after researching other industries’ use of cloud technology, the idea to provide a global solution to property management was born.
Ask Porter (previously known as Ask Pam), an AI messaging platform that optimises property & facilities management, reducing admin and the cost of management, whilst improving customer satisfaction. Founded in 2015 by Tom Shrive & Sam Tassell,Porter is made smart through 'skill-sets' such as maintenance and issue reporting, knowledge base, emergency, insurance, even property search. Tom’s mother was at the heart of the idea whilst she was still able to comfortably use ‘WhatsApp’ at 70years old.
FixFlo, a smart, web-based property repair and maintenance software partner for block, commercial and property professionals. Founded in 2013 by Rajeev Nayyar, it makes reporting repairs easy for both agents and tenants. Living in New Zealand whilst managing a rental in London, Rajeev set out to create a better way to communicate between tenants and landlords. Receive simple and accurate reports through a picture-based system, with translation into English from over forty languages. It recently won the 2016 Sunday Times gold award for best supplier to the lettings industry following a Silver in 2015 and Gold in 2014 at The Letting Agency of the Year Awards.
NoAgent, innovative technology and in-house property expertise offering landlords a simpler, flexible and low-fee way to manage everything from start to finish. Founded in 2016 by Calum Brannan, a previously frustrated landlord himself. No Agent’s property and tenant platform provides an affordable solution to managing larger portfolios. Working closely with a dedicated, in-house property manager the rental process is automated.
Airsorted, an Airbnb management service based in London, Edinburgh, Dublin & Sydney. Founded in early 2015 by James Jenkins-Yates, and a graduate of proptech focussed Pi Labs accelerator, the startup provides an array of services that will reduce the hassles experienced by Hosts using Airbnb. This includes managing guests, price optimisation, marketing, cleaning, and laundry. The startup said earlier this year that it manages 1,000 homes.
Hostmaker, an Airbnb hospitality management service, providing Airbnb hosts with housekeepers and concierge. Founded in 2014 by Nakul Sharma, Hostmaker offers in-person check-ins, hotel-style housekeeping and much more for vacation rentals. Aiming to solve the complexities of renting out and managing your home as well as aiding you to ensure an enjoyable stay for your guests. The service is currently available in London, Barcelona and Rome, and serves about 5,000 guests per month. Recently they won Best Short-term Rental Operator at the Serviced Apartment Awards 2017.
Unit Pal, a Danish designed property and revenue management system, developed by seasoned hotel professionals. Founded at the start of 2016 by Ture Strange Nilsson, UnitPal offers Hotel & BnB hosts the tools to offer a ‘seamless hotel management experience’. Their system offers to save time, increase revenues and higher yields through dynamic pricing, front desk automation, customer tracking, inventory management etc.
Having spent the last four years recruiting for property management opportunities myself, I am all too familiar of the frustrations a poorly-equipped property manager may face. However, I am also aware that these are some of the successful solutions, workloads are becoming manageable again and the term ‘service’ is not considered unheard of anymore. We do still have some way to go but we are a lot closer to change than we have ever been before. What do you think, Property Managers?
