Remote working usually provides benefits for those who adopt it. Working remotely can be cheaper and more productive due to less travel time and expense eating into the working day. But can you manage property remotely?
The recent Covid-19 outbreak has focused attention in many sectors on how work can be carried out remotely because of the need to limit travel and contact between people. The property rental sector is no exception.
The good news is that much of the essential work necessary to manage a property can take place remotely, especially if you make use of the excellent software technology now available.
InventoryBase’s property inspection software and property inspection app make remote management and communication straightforward throughout a tenancy, from pre-tenancy inspections and inventory reports through to managing the check out process. You can access the property dashboard from any internet-connected device, wherever you are in the world. It is no longer necessary to be in the same town, or even the same country, as the properties you are managing. This opens up exciting new rental investment opportunities for landlords, and new business opportunities for agents managing property.
New tenancies
Before a new tenancy is signed, it is essential for the landlord or agent to carry out a pre-tenancy inspection and to produce an inventory report. The pre-tenancy inspection will check the state and condition of the property and verify compliance with the statutory requirements. Full and detailed inventory reports, attached to the tenancy agreement, are vital to avoid check out disputes.
Building a report is easy with InventoryBase’s pre-built templates. You can even customise your own templates with the template builder. Completed reports can then be sent digitally to everyone who needs to view it, and digital signatures can also be obtained. This is not only quicker, removing the delay of several days introduced by using the postal system, but it removes the need for anyone to handle paper. Tenants can even comment on digital reports and add their own photographs to supplement those you or your agent have taken.
Managing tenant relationships remotely
Effective communication is key to a good relationship between tenants, landlords and/or agents. Tenants need to be able to contact the person responsible for managing their property with day-to-day concerns, such as requests for repairs and maintenance, and emergency issues. The easier it is for tenants to make contact, the more likely they are to notify the landlord or agent as soon as an issue arises rather than leaving it to deteriorate.
InventoryBase allows you to organise online bookings for appointments and you can set automated notifications and email updates to help keep all parties informed. This reduces the risk of missed appointments for inspections, saving everyone time and hassle. There is even a private messaging function to make communication as easy as possible.
Remote online communication means that tenants can fit in communicating with their landlords at a time to suit them. There is no need to take time out of their working day to call an office if they can send a quick email in a spare moment at home or at work.
Managing communication with third parties
Login access can be granted to property records for any third parties involved in property management. Online scheduling makes it simple to arrange visits by contractors and to communicate appointment times to tenants, with assisted scheduling provided by built-in calendars, availability options and team diaries.
InventoryBase self-service reports feature
InventoryBase’s built-in self-service features allow you to assign client logins to allow access to the property and report history. This gives both landlords and tenants the power to add their own comments and upload documents and photographs, helping to resolve issues quickly and easily with a streamlined online process.
Remote property management is here to stay.
It makes obtaining signatures to agreements and collating information relating to a property straightforward. A property manager’s time is used more effectively if travel and face-to-face meetings are kept to a minimum, improving profitability for property managers and making it easier to manage large numbers of properties wherever you may be based.
InventoryBase provides the complete end to end solution for all your property management technology needs.
Why not book a demo with our team?