Tag: HomeHak

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6 Reasons Why Letting Agents Should Sign Up To HomeHak

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What makes us different

HomeHak is different from property websites. Our mission is to help letting agents and landlords select tenants they can trust and help people to rent a home they love..

 

With so much demand for properties and many people looking for homes to rent, a property ad can result in hundreds of enquiries. Sometimes, an agent spend hours sifting through applications, phone calls and emails from anxious applicants desperate to get a home.

 

HomeHak helps you spend less time reviewing inconsistent, incomplete email enquiries from property website ads and more time engaging landlords and growing your business.

 

Check out the 6 reasons why letting agents should sign up to HomeHak:

1. Save time and hassle

Enquiries come in all forms from different sources. This includes property websites, emails, referrals and even on paper, with accompanying data protection responsibilities. In addition to being time consuming and stressful, there is no way of knowing before property viewings are arranged, which tenant is trustworthy or if they will be a good fit for the property.

 

Despite the best of intentions, agents do not have time to assess every applicant’s case to find the best tenants for each individual property. Often, they will select from the first ten or twenty enquiries or the applicants who pester the letting agent the most. What’s more, these persistent applicants may well be the more high-maintenance tenants who will continue calling even after renting the property.

 

In summary, HomeHak Tenant Selector,  helps agents spend less time reviewing inconsistent, incomplete email enquiries from property website ads. Instead, spend that time engaging with trustworthy, organised tenants.

 

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Photo by Marten Bjork on Unsplash

2. Prioritise prepared and trustworthy applicants

What would it mean for you to stop wasting time and money on the wrong applicants and the “tyre kickers”? What if you and your team knew exactly which applicants prioritise for each property?

 

HomeHak for agents shows you which applicants are the best fit for a property. Focus your time and efforts on the potential tenants who have their full Tenant CV prepared in advance, with ID verification, references, rent history and more.

 

Save more time by updating your Landlord clients with a link to the Tenant CV’s you recommend, a task that takes seconds.

 

3. Information ready to go

HomeHak tenant members are more organised than the average applicant. They have most, or all their relevant information organised and ready to share.

 

This includes:

  • ID verified by Stripe
  • Renting history
  • Employment details
  • Landlord, employer and other references
  • Their story
  • Details about what they are looking for and how much they can afford.

This information will help you make an informed decision about who to invite for a property viewing, rather than wasting time with unmatched applicants. Besides, it makes so much sense to read a person’s references in advance. It’s the best assurance you can get.

 

4. No more crowds at viewings

Since all the information you need is on their tenant CV’s, you can just invite the two or three applicants that best suit the house. Avoid the disappointment of dozen unsuccessful applicants and time consuming queues of viewers.

 

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Photo by Mark Timberlake on Unsplash

5. Easy to find ready-made households 

Unique to HomeHak is that individual home seekers can join their Tenant CVs to form ready-made households. Imagine knowing up front that all information for four housemates is organised and ready to view.

 

In addition, since the home-seekers know each other, they probably have good chemistry and are likely to get on well in the home. It will likely mean less hassle and easier property management. Check out Hanna and her co-applicants Tenant CVs.

 

Do you want more information about the co-applicant feature? Take a look at this article to learn more about the best way to find a ready-made household.

 

6. Data Protection

Additionally, HomeHak assists you in lowering the risks associated with assuming the role of Data Controller as per GDPR.

 

Secondly, the tenants’ data is securely stored on the platform in their own HomeHak account. Letting agents can mitigate some GDPR responsibilities that can come with collecting applications.

 

Agents can simply focus on a manageable number of trustworthy applicants who meet the expectations of the landlord client.

Why sign up to HomeHak for letting agents?

To sum up, these is how HomeHak can help agents work more efficiently:

  • No more time spent fielding phone call enquiries from a surplus of home-seekers. You only engage with the best-suited applicants for the particular property.

 

  • No more receiving scores of emails with part-completed application forms and attachments full of GDPR-sensitive information. You only engage with the best-suited applicants for the particular property. HomeHak members control how much of their personal information they share with you.

 

  • No more time spent reviewing and filtering application forms and attachments and writing to individual applicants. You can message HomeHak members inside the platform. You only engage with the best-suited applicants for the particular property.

 

  • No more emailing and calling individual applicants who were unsuccessful. Updating members who shortlisted or applied for a property is automated on HomeHak.

 

  • No more answering emails and phone calls like “Is the property still available?” “Did you get my application form?” “Do I stand a good chance of getting this property?” “I sent you everything. What happened?” You only engage with the best-suited applicants for the particular property.

 

  • No more emailing enquirers with blank application forms. HomeHak members upload most of their information to their Tenant CV in advance.

Sign up today

Currently, we offer Letting agents 365 days of trial membership, FOR FREE. If the agency decides to join HomeHak during the free trial period, the current cost is €25 per agent per year.

 

Finally, letting agents pay nothing to advertise a property on HomeHak. HomeHak members are the organised home-seekers you hope to apply to your property ads!

 

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How to prepare a move-in packet to welcome new tenants

Folders

You went through the screening process, found an ideal tenant, and they’re all set to move in. The hardest part of getting someone to rent your vacant space is now over. However, instead of switching to autopilot, use the weeks between the lease signing and the move-in date to create a packet of information for new tenants.

 

A move-in packet has two benefits:

 

  • It ensures you have all the paperwork you need in one place
  • It helps your new renters feel like they’ve established a personal connection with you right off the bat.

 

Photo by Marissa Daeger on Unsplash

What to include:

Copy of the lease signed by both parties

This is exactly what it says, a copy of the legally binding contract signed and dated.

Move-in checklist

In the first few days after a tenant moves in, it’s crucial to walk through the apartment with them and make a note of any existing damage or wear on a move-in checklist that itemises each feature in a rental. That way, you’ll know exactly what to charge a renter when they move out, and they will be aware of their responsibilities for damage incurred.

 

Note: If you’re a Rentler user, we have a lawyer-approved move-in checklist ready to print and use.

Instructions for paying rent

Make it easy for a new tenant to pay rent for the first time. Cover all the payment methods you accept and any late fees incurred for not paying by a certain date. For example, do you accept payment online? Make sure to write down the website they need to go to and how many days it will take to process the payment.

 

If you prefer a mailed check, write the address down and include any special notes about the forms of payment you accept.

Emergency contact information

If you have a special number tenants can call for after-hours emergencies, include it here. If you have a maintenance person on-call, include their number. Also, include the phone number of the local police department in case of emergencies like break-ins and theft.

 

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Photo by Firmbee on Unsplash

 

Parking passes

If your renters need a special parking pass or sticker, include it in the packet. For assigned parking spots, give your tenants the information about who to call if someone parks in their space. Whether you have a towing company you use or prefer to have them contact you directly first, make sure the info on all parking procedures is in there. Parking is one of the biggest frustrations facing renters. Therefore, make it as painless as possible, and your renters will stick around.

Map of fire extinguishers and emergency exits

If you are renting out a unit in a larger apartment complex, make a map of the building with the emergency info highlighted. For homes, you can include a sheet with information about where fire extinguishers are located and instructions for testing fire alarms.

 

Fire-extinguisher
Photo by Tak Kei Wong on Unsplash

Maintenance request forms

Having a form for maintenance requests is crucial. That way, you have a record of what needs to be done, and the process is streamlined for everyone. Include a few copies in your packet (Rentler users have access to online maintenance request forms to make it easy).

Lead paint disclosure

If your house or apartment complex was built before 1978, you are legally obligated to include a lead paint disclosure form. In addition, you will want to include some safety guides for living in a house where lead paint exposure is possible.

Guide to the neighbourhood

Go the extra mile and create a sheet of paper with the nearest hospitals and their phone numbers, and any special information about safety measures (i.e. “The road in front of this complex is shut down one Saturday in June for parade routes.”). You can maybe even make a list of the closest places to get takeout food.

 

Put all the information you’ve compiled for their move-in packet in a cheap plastic binder and give it to your new renter when you hand them the keys.

 

Have a look at our neighbourhood guides!

Bonus:

After a day of moving furniture, the last thing a new renter wants to do is run to the grocery store for toilet paper or dig through their boxes for a shower liner to take a much-needed shower. Put a cheap plastic liner, a roll of TP and maybe some paper towels for the pizza they’ll inevitably order on the counter, and you’ll be the world’s greatest landlord. Sometimes it’s the simple things!

 

Check out this article on tips to help your new tenants!