All letting agents and buy-to-let landlords have been offered comprehensive tenant screening services completely free of charge by tenant referencing firm Canopy.

Available to rental professionals with immediate effect, Canopy’s offer to both new and existing clients is happening during the COVID-19 crisis. The fintech firm’s instant service for tenant screening, powered by both Open Banking Data and Experian, is already free of charge to letting agents and landlords.

For more comprehensive referencing the fintech business charges £3 for each reference. This covers landlord references and the employment history of tenants. However, during the current pandemic, Canopy is waiving its fee to all potential and current clients in the wake of the difficult market conditions which the sector is presently experiencing.

Letting agents and landlords can sign up to the service from Canopy in order to gain access to free tenant referencing, which expires on 30th June 2020. However, there is a catch. New clients must sign up to an 18-month standard contract in order to receive the offer from the company.

However, it is important to note that letting agents and landlords are able to cancel this contract at any time by providing Canopy with a notice period of three months if they are not satisfied with the service they receive or the referencing product from Canopy.

The CEO and founder of the company, Tahir Farooqui, has stated that many landlords and letting agents have been hit hard by the influx of regulatory changes as well as the impending slowdown of the economy as the impact of COVID-19 truly takes effect. In fact, this could create the tipping point for many landlords and letting agents who are suffering from rising costs as they must adjust to the new reality for the economy.

Mr Farooqui states that many landlords and letting agents will be searching for ways to cut their costs, and he believes that tenant referencing for free will create big savings. Technological innovations such as Airbnb inspection software can also create more efficient procedures for landlords, saving them both time and money.

He goes on to explain that the current climate is creating a shift from selling services to landlords, letting agents and tenants to instead supporting them to the best of the ability of each company. These times are currently calling for a true sense of community and acts of solidarity.

Canopy explains that they are prepared to support buy-to-let landlords and letting agents by offering tenant screening services for free until June 2020 comes to an end. Considering the technological and innovative nature of the PropTech business, the company explains that they are in a good position to serve landlords and letting agents and expect that the coronavirus outbreak will not have any serious impact to their services. They emphasise that their customers should expect full engagement from their team and a continued level of service.

By downloading the app from Canopy on either the Android or Apple stores, people are able to complete an Experian credit check and a soft check in addition to affordability and income checks. This allows tenants, landlords and letting agents to complete tenancy checks in the safety of their homes while adhering to the social distancing rules currently in place.

With COVID-19 having profound effects on the livelihoods and lives of tenants, Canopy has also announced that they will introduce measures to support renters. They also hope that this time will provide them with time to reflect and emerge smarter and with new skills.

Canopy explains that they are prepared to support buy-to-let landlords and letting agents by offering tenant screening services for free until June 2020 comes to an end. Considering the technological and innovative nature of the PropTech business, the company explains that they are in a good position to serve landlords and letting agents and expect that the coronavirus outbreak will not have any serious impact to their services. They emphasise that their customers should expect full engagement from their team and a continued level of service.

By downloading the app from Canopy on either the Android or Apple stores, people are able to complete an Experian credit check and a soft check in addition to affordability and income checks. This allows tenants, landlords and letting agents to complete tenancy checks in the safety of their homes while adhering to the social distancing rules currently in place.

With COVID-19 having profound effects on the livelihoods and lives of tenants, Canopy has also announced that they will introduce measures to support renters. They also hope that this time will provide them with time to reflect and emerge smarter and with new skills.

Need to carry out a property inspection remotely? Our self-service property inspection facility allows agents and landlords to work with tenants to complete inspections throughout the current period of social distancing.

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