property

April 15, 2013

Property profile page new design

This weekend saw the new design of the property profile page being released. We have been busy listening to our users who have asked for an even quicker way in reconciling rental payments as received and paid to landlords.

property profile page

Now agents can do all of these tasks on the Property Profile Page. However if a rental payment due needs to be edited or history viewed this can still all be done through the Schedule page.

Managing financials

Once your rental payment is received you can process it from your Rentview account to the landlords here also. It will now show the deductions to be taken and held from the rent. You can also click through to the invoice page to add/edit or delete any payments from this invoice. As with the rental schedule page you can also click through to the Statement page to view history etc.

Property Notes

Lastly you can also now add notes to the property which are date stamped with which ever agent left the notes. These notes are for internal use only.

To find out more about how Rentview’s letting agency software can help your letting agency enquire at info@rentview.com

by Rentview

April 9, 2013

Rental marketing video

Following on from our previous video blog on creating your Letting Agency Video Channel, here we can see how to publish a property marketing video on your YouTube station. (by Rentviewsoftware)

Process for editing your rental marketing video

Here is 5 steps in uploading your rental marketing video to YouTube. You will need to create an account as outlined in the above link.

Step 1. Upload the video from your computer or device. If you are using a smart phone or tablet you can easily upload the video by just clicking the upload facility.

Step 2. Start to place SEO information relating to your rental marketing video. It is important to use keywords which you hope to rank with in the Title, Description and tags. For example if your property is located on Manchester Ave you may want the title as “Manchester Ave Apartment to rent” this should also appear in the description.

Step 2a. Include the text to appear in your Facebook or Twitter Feed if you have social media connected with your channel.

Step 3. Advanced settings, will allow you enter details such as location and options to include recording date etc.

Step 4. Once you have everything completed press save and now you edit some of the rental makreting video to include on screen texts and links etc.

Step 5. Promote your rental marketing video in order for you to generate traffic and views. The obvious places of promotion are all your social media channels but also on the description of your rental property.

Why agencies use rental marketing video

The strategy of using a rental marketing video by letting agents to attract tenants allows them to qualify the tenants to the highest level possible. By offering a rental marketing video any potential tenant viewing your property knows that location, price, layout & interior match their expectations.

By using rental marketing videos you are offering more in your marketing services to landlords. With increased competition within the lettings industry having more USP’s will certainly help you attract more listings.

Read more on Strategy in marketing a rental property – which discusses letting agents’ different marketing strategies.

by Andreas Riha

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)

July 24, 2012

Product Development: Partial Payments on Rentview

How to record a partial rental payment from Rentview on Vimeo.

Welcome to the latest product development blog where today i’m going to give you a quick update on our latest property management software feature set to go live this week.

Receiving a partial rent payment

When you are managing rental payments, you make get some tenants who don’t pay the full rent amount each month. We spoke to agencies who were having this problem and now the Rentview platform allows and agency to record and manage partial rent payments.

Example of Rent schedule : In this case the rent due is €800 from the tenant as per the rent schedule image below.

Unfortunately the tenant has only come up with €700 in rent for July’s payment meaning the €100 will have to be paid at a later date, previously on the software you would have to add a new payment term to manage this issue. Now with partial payments it automatically alters the payment schedule:

Above : Marking the payment of €700 received on time (20Th July 2012)

Below : The new and updated Rent Schedule – €100 Rent arrears due

Thats it for now, like to keep the product development blogs short, for more information visit the website and make sure to follow Rentview on Twitter. Thanks to Colin for the help on this one too. Goodbye , Cormac!

July 23, 2012

Property Management Blog: Pest Control – How to avoid Rats and Mice

Today im going to blog about one of the most common pests that landlords, tenants and property managers have to deal with in rented accommodation. That is rats and mice, there are many other rodents and insects a property manager may encounter and the best way to handle these will be covered over the next few weeks. Our friends at Owlspestcontrol have been kind enough to provided us with some great information on such problems and how to deal with them.

No 1 – Mus Domesticus and Rattus Norvegicus (AKA Mice and Rats)

Mice/Rats breed quickly so these are some of the top guys you don’t want to see on your property. They are attracted to properties due to obvious reasons such as food/water as they are the ultimate scavengers.

To deal with mice and rats you can take the following simple steps in your rental accommodation:

Remove the food!!, no bin bags left on the ground, lids off the bin etc
Minimise harbourage opportunities,no junk around the property, trim hedgesregularly with specific attention to areas close to walls.
Proof the property against potential rodent access, a thorough inspection of the perimeter is needed!(Mice need a 6mm gap to enter your home!)
Eliminate water sources! Rats are attracted to water taps,water pipes, drains etc

A frequent sighting of rats or mice may not necessarily mean you have an infestation but simply didn’t take the four prevention steps detailed above. If you are worried there is an infestation you must be as detailed and specific as possible when calling pest control. Include details such as number of rodents exact location and how often you have seen the rodents. Thats it for today guys I hope this blog was useful and please share with others in the industry too, you can follow me at @rentview_ and please check out Owl Pest Control.

June 29, 2012

Property Services Regulation Act 2011

Property-Services-Regulation-Act-2011

Property Services Regulation Act 2011 – how it will affect you?

With the deadline rapidly approaching, the old Auctioneers licensing law issued by The Courts and Revenue is expiring and the new Property Services Regulation Act 2011 is approaching. As of the 6th of July 2012, all letting agents and management agents must be licensed by the NPSRA.

One of the main functions of the Authority is the licensing of Property Services Providers (i.e. Auctioneers/Estate Agents, Letting Agents and Management Agents). It will take over the licensing of Auctioneers/Estate Agents and Letting Agents from the Courts and Revenue Commissioners and also license, for the first time, Management Agents.

The Act defines four separate types of property service

The auction of property other than land;
The purchase or sale, by whatever means, of land;
The letting of land; and,
Property management services

Click Here for a Guide to becoming a Licensed Property Services Provider

If you are providing any of these services and have not submitted your application, you should do so immediately. There is a grace period where if you have submitted your application prior to July 6th 2012 you may still continue offering these services. However, if you continue to offer these services and have not been licensed or submitted your application, you are breaking the law.

Here is a list of Licensed Auctioneers by county care of the NPSRA for the year 2013.

As always, we would be happy to hear your feedback on this topic.

by Andreas Riha

April 10, 2012

Tenant reference check questions

As much as landlords want their property rented and off the market, they want the right tenant and not one that will end up costing them more than if they left the property empty.

Reference checking is one way to ensure an A+ tenant rents the property. There are three key reference sources; bank/building society, employer and previous landlord. While confidentiality clauses will prevent detailed information from being discussed, banks can provide proof of financial stability and capability to pay. Similarly, employers can provide financial information that indicates a tenant’s ability to pay.

Employment Reference

A typical rule of thumb would for the rent not exceed the tenant(s) income by 35%. Aside from financial information, employers can provide personal information; what is the tenant like to work with, confirmation of details such as current address, job position etc.

Landlord reference

Possibly the most important reference is the one from a previous landlord. This will provide you with key information that may make or break an agreement. A few questions will reveal what rent was paid, if it was paid on time and what the person was like as a tenant.

Some useful tenant reference check questions to ask:

Was the tenant unreasonable in any way?
Why did the tenant move out?
How long did the tenant rent the property?
Was the rent paid on time?
Would you rent to this person again?
Were there any complaints from other tenants?
Did they cause any major maintenance issues?

What are the tenant reference check questions you would ask?

by Andreas Riha

February 17, 2012

Happy Tenants

Image credit DieselDemon

You’ve done the hard work – made an agreement with a landlord to let and/or manage their property, made sure everything is in order with the property, advertised it and found suitable tenants. Time to put the feet up and relax? Unfortunately not. The next task is to keep the tenants happy, which will hopefully encourage them to renew their lease. But how do you do this? If you’re the theory-loving type, there are plenty of books and articles on Customer Relationship Management. If not, the following will be of some help (although it is recommended to also do a little research into the area).

Know the lease and property they’re renting inside-out

For agents with a number of properties on the go this may be difficult, but it really is worth it. Knowing the finest details will help to clear up any queries or issues much quicker than if you don’t know them. It will also show tenants that you are serious about their welfare (in relation to the property at least!) and will give them confidence that you will be able to help when needed.

Communicate with them regularly

We’re not suggesting that you should become fully fledged friends with your happy tenants, but be sure to keep in contact with them. Answer their calls and messages promptly, and keep them updated as you solve problems. If you don’t, they may think nothing is being done. The tenant is not going to know that you’re waiting on a quote or approval from the landlord unless you tell them. Questions from tenants can build up very quickly so find a way of prioritising them.

Ensure consistency in each relationship

Maintain the same level of service for every tenant. Related to the above points, this means having good rent collection practices in place, enforcing rules fairly etc. The word of mouth phenomenon is very powerful, especially when it comes to negative stories, and you don’t want to be on the receiving end of it! Consistent practices will mean only positive stories are spread about your agency.

Get feedback

This can be done either informally or formally throughout the tenancy or when it’s coming close to the end. Informally could be a quick phone call to check what they thought of the service and how to improve it. The formal route could include a more detailed questionnaire, but keep it straightforward and not too long. We know they take effort to complete, so if the budget allows it throw in an incentive of a cash prize or voucher to encourage tenants to fill it in.

Be nice!

Simple good manners go a long way. Be polite and approachable in your dealings with tenants. In times of frustration, try to keep a cool head because anger generally doesn’t solve anything, and is unprofessional. To take it up a notch, send them a card from the company on their birthday. Nothing extravagant is needed; a small card from the local newsagents will be enough to put a smile on their face. Again if the budget allows it, you could consider ordering company-specific standardised cards which may work out cheaper in the long run.

Remember happy tenants means occupied properties!

Other blogs which may interest you –

Final inspection and return of your tenants deposit & Tenants complaints about neighbours

by Andreas Riha

January 19, 2012

How to advertise property for rent

advertise-property-for-rent

Image credit ThisparticularGreg

How to advertise property for rent

An interesting and effective advertisement will have two components – pictures and a description.

1. Advertise property for rent using images

As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, so you better make sure those pictures are up to Shakespeare and Tolkien standards! Obviously, there should be at least one picture of each room, and these pictures should be of a good size and quality. We recommend taking more than one photo of each room to capture the necessary detail, but be sure there’s no clutter and everything is clean before you start. This is especially true for kitchens and bathrooms as these rooms can be deal makers or breakers. Let your creative side shine and experiment with lighting and angles to show the rooms at their best. Photograph the exterior too, preferably on a clear day when the light hits it best. If you really want to impress, make a video too. A simple virtual tour of the property using a digital camera or even a phone brings the property to life. See Why Use YouTube for marketing

advertise-property-for-rent

Image credit Andrew Mason

2. Advertise property for rent using good property description

Keep the description short but detailed and without deceptive language. Most people are quite savvy these days and will see through descriptions like ‘cosy kitchen’ and find the real meaning of small, possibly cramped. Just be realistic. Follow the rules of correct grammar and spelling when advertising a property to rent. Don’t forget to proofread the description before you post it! As for what to include in the description, imagine you’re writing it for a first-time renter who doesn’t know what to expect and is unfamiliar with the area the property is in. Place the most attractive points at the beginning and end, as most people read these but scan the middle. Include the following information:

Location
Rent
Lease length
How many rooms/bathrooms and their approximate size
Furnished/Unfurnished
Appliances e.g. washer/dryer
Storage
Internet
Security measures
Policy on children, pets and rent allowance
Proximity to amenities
Special features
Letting agent contact information

Combining photographs with a detailed description will ensure your advert is both eye-catching and effective when you advertise property to rent.

By Andreas Riha

January 18, 2012

Property Viewing – Top 3 Tips

Property Viewing

In social interactions, whether it is a job interview or just meeting new people, we have a desire to give a good first impression. The reasons for this are many, but quite often lead to engaging in some sort of impression management to influence perceptions. The same can be applied to running a successful property viewing. Influencing a situation (in this case, the appearance/functioning of the property) in the right way can be enough to ensure a deal and a new tenant. Follow these guidelines and that important good first impression will be made at your property viewing!

property-showing

Image Credit – Nosha

#1 Get the basics right

Fixing and cleaning: the bread and butter of managing the property. Property agents can be a good source of information on problems. Are there any major structural issues? Broken roof slates, draughts from windows and doors? Get them fixed, as not only will they improve the appearance of the property, they could also help with the heating bills. Are all fixtures, fittings and appliances in good condition? This means no leaking taps, showers, no burnt-out light bulbs, fully functioning smoke alarm, strong locks and security measures etc. If the walls are looking a bit dull, re-paint them to make them look new.

#2 Cleaning the property

Next, clean the property inside and out. It may seem obvious, but the emphasis here is on thoroughness. Set aside enough time to do a proper job. A couple of hours running around with a vacuum-cleaner and some bathroom sprays are not enough. Take each room in turn and dust, vacuum, sweep and spray everything. Carpets should be washed, as should windows to prevent/remove mould. All appliances need to be cleaned and be free from unpleasant odours. If the property has a garden; cut the grass, de-weed it and plant some low maintenance flowers if possible. A small bit of detail can turn a property into a home!

property-viewing-clean

Image Credit Maartin Takens

#3 Take It to the Next Level

Set the right tone for the showing. Remove all clutter. The lived-in look may emphasise the homely aspect of a property, but it is not appropriate for a showing. For a longer and more relaxed showing have some lit, scented candles or incense in a couple of rooms. Not only will this help everyone involved relax, but it can remove any last minute or unexpected odours. A little soft music can also play with perceptions, but keep it appropriate. Finally, ensure there’s enough lighting. Even if the showing is during the day, increase the lighting levels.

Andreas Riha