Kaptur is the latest mobile software released by No Letting Go. It provides quick, easy and compliant software for residential letting agents to complete compliance reporting in house. The system is unique in that it also gives the client the ability to outsource to a network of professionals as and when they wish. The software can provide different report formats for different uses, is workflow driven saving time and cost for clients and has a comprehensive editing and management suite to ensure reports are managed effectively.
The software is currently used by all No Letting Go offices, some external inventory clerks and residential letting agents throughout the UK. The system is also integrated into key suppliers such as Fixflo.
The opportunity for Kaptur is in the residential lettings market, residential sales market, block management and commercial property markets. No Letting Go see Kaptur as a partner to help save costs and develop efficiencies and as a tool to help generate stronger relationships with the market that will help grow all sides of the business. It is also an entry point tool for new markets and is by its very nature, very scalable.
This is an excellent opportunity to be part of a great new product that you can make your own.
Scope of the Role
The role is to initially establish Kaptur as one of the key mobile compliance/inventory software providers by selling the solution to potential agency clients. Using existing contacts, the No Letting Go franchise network and your own existing or developed relationships, you will sell the service to meet your targets. This will initially involve following up on leads, completing online demos, setting and managing trials, carrying out face to face client meetings but you will be expected to carry out industry presentations, source and develop partnerships and manage these to a profitable outcome.
Whilst the software is already being used by the market, January 2017 sees the release of the IOS version of the software with several new enhancements for the android versions. Your role is to build on the successful launch of the software by developing existing and new accounts and developing long term relationships, building a strong pipeline.
You will be required to deliver projected revenue and deliver on other key performance indicators related to the ongoing growth of the business. The role will require you to work closely with the CEO, Marketing Manager, Customer Support Teams and the No Letting Go franchisee network.
Target Markets: Business-to-Business Residential and Commercial Property Management Market, PRS, Student Market.
Key Accountabilities
Key Performance Indicators:
- Monthly Revenue
- Client Retention
- Franchisee Kaptur revenue
- Activity (demos, trials)
- Number of new clients
- Growth of existing accounts
- Source and develop new partners
- Marketing Manage costs of service delivery
As the key sales person, you will also play an active role in the development of the brand. This will involve business development including:
- Developing and rolling out national marketing campaigns for your target markets working with the marketing department.
- Identifying opportunities for campaigns, services, and distribution channels that will lead to an increase in sales.
- Working with nominated franchisees to deliver on budgeted growth targets, maintain communication and increase profitability for all parties
- Set up meetings between client decision maker and key franchisees and/or management team.
- Managing and nurturing the client relationship team to ensure the highest productivity whilst keeping motivation levels high.
- Submitting monthly progress reports and ensure accuracy of all data (pricing, invoicing etc.).
- Attend all shows/seminars/conferences.
- Attend some regional franchise meetings.
- Monitor daily and weekly deliverables.
Personal Attributes
This person needs to be a self-starter, disciplined and very driven to meet targets, someone that can work well with people and get the best from them.
The key initial requirements of this role will be for a person with an excellent telephone manner, who can quickly build rapport with a prospect quickly and be viewed as knowledgeable and trustworthy. In addition, it is essential that they are organised and administratively competent.
The successful applicant will be required to learn the fundamentals of the inventory business with respects to SaaS.
Requirements
The candidate is likely to come from either a property, property services or software services/licensing background with a good understanding of SaaS. Will have a proven sales track record at all levels, excellent communicator both internally and externally, excellent telephone skills and able to represent the company at the highest levels.
The successful candidate will be one who can show that they can work from the bottom up, make sales and develop new business accounts for the long term. We are looking for the candidate to be passionate and enthusiastic, wanting the service to be a success.
Induction and Training
A detailed induction programme will be compiled involving all parties involved. This will include IT support, Marketing and Management.
Reporting Line
Initially to CEO and Marketing Manager.
Salary: £25k + commission, OTE £35k + company package.
Offices are based in Swanley (National travel will be required)
Office hours are 09.00-17.30 Mon-Fri
How to Apply
To apply, email your CV to [email protected].
Technology has already done a lot to transform domestic living, just as the Internet has changed the way the world works in almost every respect. Nevertheless, we have really only just begun to scratch the surface of what’s to come – perhaps much sooner then you realise.
The Internet of Things
Far beyond a means by which to access entertainment, do business and communicate with others, the Internet is slowly but surely working its way into everyday life. You can already switch your home lighting and hot water on and off from anywhere in the world, but aside from these kinds of minor conveniences, the Internet of things still has quite a way to go.
But as far as the fair few visionaries are concerned, it really won’t be long before living lives as we live them today will seem borderline archaic.
The Intelligent Home
Why? Well, it all comes down to the fact that while technology as it stands today is impressive enough, it is for the most part passive. By contrast, years down the line we can expect to see more intelligent technology entering our lives in our homes than ever before. Roughly translated, technology will play an active role in enhancing and simplifying our lives, without having to be prompted.
In the home of the future, everything from lighting to heating to hot water to entertainment and so on will be intelligently automated and manageable with little to no human interaction. Our homes will actively and constantly monitor, record and analyse the way we live our lives and our day to day habits, ultimately enabling them to pre-empt our needs, our wants and our regular activities. The kind of technology able to read and accurately interpret facial expressions and body language already exists – it is only a matter of time until it enters our homes.
Enhancing Every Day
Imagine never having to set an alarm as the home around you already knows exactly where you need to be and when. Imagine a home that accesses transportation and meteorological data for the day ahead, in order to offer accurate journey times, suggested routes and even a sensible outfit in accordance with weather conditions.
Or how about a bathroom mirror that doubles up as a daily health tracker and vital signs monitor? You simply go about your bathroom business as normal, but at the same time are effectively given something of a physical check by your home’s technology, with the data being stored, tracked and shared with your GP when necessary. You are prompted to take any required medication and provided with helpful suggestions in accordance with your current goals – weight loss, weight gain, improve fitness, better sleep, better nutrition and so on.
Your kitchen will know which food items are about to expire and advise you on creative ways of using them, ordering essentials will be as simple as providing a voice response when prompted by your refrigerator and intelligent cooking appliances will make it absolutely impossible to come up with anything that isn’t truly outstanding.
The home of the future isn’t about allowing our lives to be taken over by technology, but rather utilising the incredible technology available to us to enhance and simplify everything we do.
If you’d like to check out or subscribe to the Innovate UK YouTube channel.
You can also follow @InnovateUK on Twitter here.
New Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Legislation 2015 for England, comes into effect on 1st October which means that landlords of residential properties must have smoke alarms fitted on every floor and carbon monoxide alarms in any room with a solid fuel burning appliance. To support landlords and letting agents, No Letting Go has launched an inspection and installation services across its 50 regional offices. These regulations cover all private rented properties not just new tenancies which are let on assured shorthold tenancies and is retrospective.
Nick Lyons, CEO of No Letting Go, says “with the enormous and somewhat challenging task agents and landlords now have with which to meet the requirements of the new legislation, we have launched a fully insured and audited inspection and installation service both as a standalone service or combined with our current inventory or check out , to help agents and landlords across the UK comply with the legislation.”
By providing this service No Letting Go will test, register and record all existing alarms, replace batteries and/or install new alarms where necessary. All information will be recorded in a report and on our web base system, accessible 24/7 providing a full audit trail to ensure agents and landlords meet these latest legislative requirements.
Check for details of your local office here, call our head office on 0203 1264 409 or e mail us at [email protected].
The Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS) – the government approved deposit protection scheme for landlords, agents, and tenants in the UK – today announced the value of deposits protected has grown by £100m from last year, to over £1.3bn and a 25% increase in deposit disputes, to 11,900.
The TDS figures show that 19.2% of all disputes raised resulted in 100% pay-outs to tenants; 19.8% of all disputes raised by landlords or agents resulted in 100% pay-outs to them; while in the remaining 61% of cases saw the disputed money split between the parties.
Most of the disputes in England and Wales were about cleaning (58%), followed by damage (52%), redecoration (32%), gardening (17%) and rent arrears (10%).
It is worth noting the average amount of money disputed in cases across England and Wales was £831 – Our average inventory costs only 10% of this value; isn’t it worth considering a professional inventory service?
You can avoid the trend of increasing tenancy disputes with leading inventory provider No Letting Go: with an incredibly successful track record, we are the largest and most respected property inventory company with over 40 offices throughout the UK.
Call us today for enquires 01322 555128.
You can read the full TDS Dispute Service Annual Review 2015 here.
We’re delighted to welcome Garry Lockwood to the No Letting Go family as our newest franchisee who will be developing his business across Sutton and Merton. He first came across NLG having bought and renovated some rental properties in Kent. He used No Letting Go in Gillingham to inventory those properties and was so impressed with the service he decided to investigate taking out a franchise for himself.
Garry said,”I was looking for a fresh challenge and having taken the step into property, the inventory business interested me and was a natural extension of that.” Garry originally had a career in the field of PR having worked within some of the largest London agencies. He set up his own company a few years ago supporting European tech companies before getting into rental property.
Having grown up in Hull and attending University in Wales, Garry has gradually migrated south. Father to a son aged 14, he lives in Sutton with his partner. His guilty pleasure is diving including cave diving; he’s not long returned from a three week trip to Mexico indulging this passion.
On joining NLG Garry said, “I have been very impressed with the training I have received and before that, when I met Tony and spoke with other franchisees, I got an extremely positive overall impression of the company. I’m very pleased with the level of support, everyone seems very helpful. Sutton particularly has a lot of flats and rental property so I’m hoping I’m going to be kept busy.
It is recommended that landlords perform a Legionella risk assessment every two years to meet their legal duty in ensuring that the risk of exposure of tenants to Legionella is properly assessed and controlled.
We are always looking for additional ways to add extra value to our client’s services that in turn helps provide a better service to their landlords. Legionella risk assessment makes a lot of sense for us as we have the right skill set to ensure this work is carried out to the highest levels and can in turn be offered in addition to our inventory management services.
Outsourcing this activity through us is an efficient and cost-effective way for landlords, agents and property managers to demonstrate they are compliant. We can perform the risk assessment as a separate visit or whilst we are already attending the property for a check-in, check-out or mid-term report allowing for us to offer better overall value.
Legionella is a bacteria naturally found in water systems. Whilst the bacteria at low levels do not pose a health risk, under certain conditions, in water storage tanks for example, and in certain temperature ranges, the bacteria can multiply increasing the risk of Legionnaire’s Disease. Risk increases in water systems that are unused for any period of time; making rental properties particularly vulnerable. Legionnaire’s is a potentially fatal disease with flu-like symptoms often mistaken for pneumonia contracted by inhaling bacteria contained in water droplets.
We are to provide full checks of the entire water system in residential property including water tanks in lofts, pipes, taps, toilet and shower systems. The risk assessment will indicate whether any action is required on the part of the landlord and if not is a record demonstrating compliance in protecting tenants.
Photo sources: bwt-ni.co.uk – housemanwaterhygiene.com
How does the price of renting in London change as you travel down the Underground? HomeLet – the UK’s largest referencing firm – put together this infographic to help us understand the importance of transport links on rental prices.
We’re working hard keep up with the demand for our services – says CEO Nick Lyons. With new franchisees in Bath, West London, Stockport, Manchester and Gloucestershire bringing the number to 43 offices, Nick says there has never been a better time to get into property services through a successful franchise network.
“Perhaps the saying ‘ an Englishman’s home is his castle’ no longer applies,” says Lyons. “The UK is fast becoming a nation of renters; research indicates that by 2021 renters will outnumber homeowners across the capital and this trend extends countrywide with projections that 39% of the UK’s population will be renting by then.”
The market is being further supported by an increase in applications for buy-to-let mortgages, rising a fifth since last year and 3% since June.
This continued growth has meant No Letting Go’s services are in great demand, which means potential franchisees have an opportunity to become part of this fast growing sector and capitalise on this trend with the market’s leading brand.
“Our tablet based reporting and online inventory management system allows already busy lettings agents and property managers to order and manage property reports online field in real-time whilst maximising profits for the franchisee. It’s become more important than ever to be able to deliver an efficient, reliable service combined with detailed and accurate reports. We believe that we are unrivalled in delivering this.” added Nick “For those who are keen to grow a successful business in the property sector the time has never been better to join the No Letting Go network. Exciting times are ahead.”
For more information on No Letting Go please contact Gary Claven on 07475 526111 or visit www.nolettinggo.co.uk
The importance of Inventory Management Reports.
The importance of correct paperwork when letting a property cannot be underestimated. There are over 55 pieces of legislation to rent a single property and all require adhering too. Mostly, this legislation can be effectively managed at the start of the tenancy.
Condition and misuse of property reporting comes under the general term of Inventory Management reporting. These reports cover:
- Inventory and Schedule of Condition – a detailed professionally prepared aesthetic description of the internals and externals of a property, an inventory of all fixtures and fittings and their condition.
- Check In – the process of agreeing the inventory, the condition and cleanliness with the incoming tenant and registering of meters and keys.
- Property Visits – mid-term periodic inspections to check that the property is not being misused and that the tenant is adhering to the tenancy agreement.
- Check Out with Damage and Dilapidations – the report that determines the change between the start and the end of the tenancy, lists damages, missing items, the state of the cleanliness, property and garden condition, outstanding or due maintenance items, meters read and keys returned. The check out is carried out as the last act of the tenancy and is therefore usually carried out on the last day of tenancy.
Should the dispute end up at adjudication with one of the deposit schemes (ADR), the requirements for inventory management documentation are clearly defined as crucial. The onus is on the landlord to show why they are entitled to claim money from the deposit. The landlord must support their claim with robust and reliable evidence to show that the tenant has broken the tenancy agreement, and that the landlord has suffered, or is likely to suffer, a loss as a result.
The dispute service states the following:
“…..inventories that are not prepared by independent companies or individuals…..are likely to place less weight on their contents. It may also be necessary for a landlord to provide more corroborating evidence to show the condition of the property than would normally be required if the process was carried out by qualified and independent inventory clerks”.
“where landlords use their agents to conduct their check-in and check-out inspections………there is an added need to show that the process, and the person undertaking the inspection, was impartial. Adjudicators will take into consideration the general circumstances and relationship between the parties in determining what weight to put on the evidence”
“…..where a landlord puts the onus on the tenant to complete their own check in inspection, this type of check in is far less robust than a ‘full’ check in”.
“Just providing an inventory to the tenant and expecting them to note any discrepancies, or relying on a document that has not been signed, will not be sufficient to convince an adjudicator; the landlord will need to provide other evidence to show that their expectations and the tenant’s obligations were fully explained to the tenant”.
“Where a check-in is challenged by the tenant, a full audit trail of what remedial action has occurred should be provided and a revised check-in agreed and signed”
Further information on the requirements of the deposit schemes and other useful articles on inventory management can be found https://nolettinggo.co.uk/property-inventory-articles.html
I am always interested in great property stories around the world and read an interesting article on CNN World about how it is now cheaper to buy than rent in most US cities ( http://money.cnn.com/2011/08/16/real_estate/buy_rent/ ) – if only that were the case in the UK.
Nick