Keeping letting agents compliant
Over the past decade, there have been vast changes within the private rental sector. From 2014 letting and managing agents had to belong to a government-approved redress scheme to aid landlords and tenants in resolving disputes, and local councils were granted the power to act against landlords who did not meet the required standards.
Banning orders were also introduced to drive out the nonconformist landlords, with civil penalties of up to £30,000, along with a database for rogue landlords and agents. 2018 saw the Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act, and landlords and agents were prevented from charging excessive letting fees with the Tenant Fees Act 2019.
KPR’s specialist, paperless software was designed to help to streamline agents’ current property reporting management and to help reduce the necessity of expensive outsourcing, by bringing everything in-house, which can also help to generate extra business revenue, promote their brand, and enhance business and service levels.
Willis is KPR’s automated property Habitation and Compliance Manager for scheduling and reminders – including reminders of expiring certification and expiry dates of health and safety devices. Willis will also communicate with tenants and oversee FFHH compliance.
We keep abreast of new legislation and incorporate this into our software. In addition to this, we continue to listen to feedback from our clients, and are constantly updating and modifying our software to meet their needs. We are very much aware of the adversity that property agents endure, due to tight current legislations and the aftermath of Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Tenant Fees ban, so, we consider this when modifying our software.
There is no doubt, agents are being squeezed tighter and tighter. With the automation of Willis, it will effectively become an extra member of staff at a very low cost. It minimises disputes, changes the way in which agents work and ensures agents and landlords stay compliant.
Inspection, maintenance, and compliance software
KPR’s system covers the full tenancy cycle, from inventory to check-in, to midterm, to check-out, plus risk assessments.
The agent’s midterm report information is applied to Willis; this then produces a habitation status certificate, per property. A series of intuitive questions that are asked through the midterm report help to ensure the property, and ultimately the landlords’ compliance which is assessed on the following criteria:
Willis works in tandem with KPR’s Tenant Login, which can be used in several ways, as it was designed to simplify the communication process between the tenant and the agent, which saves tenants long waiting times on the telephone and frees agents up for other busy tasks.
The eSign feature on the tenant login allows tenants to eSign documents and gives them quick and easy access to digital copies of their tenancy contract with any supporting paperwork, plus instruction manuals to electrical goods included in their tenancy. Tenants can also self-assess their rental properties highlighting status and issues, with easy-to-use templates and supporting photo capability.
The Maintenance Reporting portal allows one-to-one communication between agents and tenants to report maintenance issues in their rental properties, via smartphone or tablet, Apple or Android using basic templates and supporting photo capability. The reported issue is sent directly into the system to notify the property management team; this information will then feed into the issue manager.
The Property Audit Trail provides consistency in reporting, by using easy-to-follow templates and date and time-stamped photo features, improving the efficiency of service, no matter who from the agency conducts the property inspection, the same information will be entered. This report will then produce an FFHH certificate.
The Compliancy by Region feature encourages agents to route plan more productively with our compliance by region feature, helping to economically plan property visits more efficiently, and save fuel emissions.
Secure, Cloud-based Storage as a paperless system, KPR’s software has no print option. It allows easy access to files using a safe and secure cloud-based storage system. This software is also in dark mode, to conserve battery power.
Even though KPR promote their system as having everything in-house, they do offer an open API with live feeds to Third-party Integrations.
Offers 24/7 access to the Knowledge Centre aiming to hold all the information you could need, however, should you have any queries, full training and technical support will be given via email and telephone, plus KPR hosts regular training webinars and demos, ensuring you are using the software to its full potential.
Unlimited Users for one set price per agency branch. KPR offers simple plans for any size business, with no contract tie-in.
Meeting letting agent's requirements
KPR’s success has come by supporting prestigious brands and associations in the UK property market and by working closely with Propertymark, to which they are an official Industry Supplier. They have grown from strength to strength releasing new and innovative products, to meet the marketplace requirements globally.
Unlike most software and tech companies, active property professionals have guided their software design, rather than sole software developers. KPR strive to always be one step ahead of competitors, making them one of the leaders in this market.
KPR: Software for Inspection, Repairs & FFHH Certification
Expert software loaded with features in our foundation package, with optional bolt-ons, making KPR a perfect fit for your agency.
Find out more about KPR's Habitation and Compliance Manager to see what else Willis can do for you by booking a free no obligation demonstration, email [email protected] or call 0208 542 23 33.
