Inventory experts No Letting Go have offered all their clients open access to their bespoke property reporting software system, Kaptur, giving a total property reporting solution.
The move allows agents the best of both worlds by providing the flexibility to perform a range of property reporting functions, such as inventory, check outs, mid-terms and fire door checks either in-house and or outsource to the No Letting Go network – whatever suits their staffing levels and their workload.
No Letting Go and Kaptur Chief Executive Nick Lyons (main picture) says: “Our clients can get access to Kaptur under a straightforward licensing arrangement, and they can use the software for any of the reports they might want to do.
“All the data is centrally held and tracked so you haven’t got data spilling out all over the place – protecting all parties from potential data leaks. This is a one-stop shop for all property evidence reporting”.
“And if the client finds they are short-staffed – for example holiday time – and they have to do 200 mid-term checks by the end of the month, then No Letting Go can provide the service for them through the same system.”
Lyons also pointed out that compliance issues are on the increase in the Private Rented Sector.
He adds: “Compliance rarely if ever goes backwards: legislation the same. Landlords and agents have to protect the people in their properties – keeping tenants in a safe environment.
“Evidence reporting in property such as inventory, smoke alarms, CO alarms, fire door safety are all now basic requirements under property management”
MID-TERM INSPECTIONS
“With extended tenancies, routine property visits are now more important than ever. No Letting Go provide a nationwide outsourced service but many agents want the ability to do in house and outsource when they are short staffed.
“This service allows you to do this through a single source, easily switching between your own team and No Letting Go. Chasing for resource at peak times can now be easily addressed by giving agents and property managers the tools to control resource.
“Rising rents and the cost of living have meant that tenancies are becoming much longer – there are fewer check-ins and check-outs but there are many more mid-term inspections.
“There is a big emphasis on how often a letting agent or its representative is visiting a property on behalf of the landlord to check on a variety of requirements, including maintaining the property, contract breaches such as subletting and now more than ever compliance, health and safety or socially related issues.
“Nobody wants to be the person that hasn’t provided proof when an issue arises. Nobody wants to say that things haven’t been checked and be found to be negligent in some way.
“Compliance is not only about protecting landlords, tenants or residents but also protecting your brand and ultimately your business – doing the right thing is one thing, but evidencing it is another. Property professionals must be able to evidence that they’ve met their obligations.”
NEW GOVERNMENT
Lyons said the new government has a focus on dramatically improving the property market and believes the PRS will only become more regulated.
Rental reform is back on the agenda and although the bill was dropped before the election, Labour is committed to scrapping Section 21 evictions as soon as possible through the Renters Rights Bill.
He says: “I suspect that a number of additional legislative reforms will come through to protect tenants and evidence will be more critical than ever.
“We all want to get rid of the rogue landlord end of the property market – the underbelly. That’s not the part of the market we come across professionally because those guys don’t tend to comply, however I believe that the government wants to address this”
“In order to make change and improve, you need to start with the information to hand. You first need to record and document everything. When you’ve got weak evidence, you’re going to get an ambiguous outcome. The better the evidence, the better the outcome – especially during and at the end of a tenancy should there be a dispute of any kind.”
“The work we have done connecting Kaptur reporting technology with No Letting Go’s professional inventory and property reporting clerks all in one click will help to give you access to the right tools or the right people providing over 100 industry reports easily and ensuring you have everything you need.
“This will, in turn, take a positive step towards protecting yourselves, your business and your clients.”
