At Rockett Home Rentals we like to do things a little differently. We've recently heard of the term 'Hybrid Agency' and how the former Managing Director of Countrywide Estate Agents Bob Scarff believes this model is the way forwards for agents today. Traditional high street letting agents are an expensive way to run an agency and are now rather antiquated. Online agents don't work as they are too hands off and no one is physically dealing with tenants landlords or the property. The third option is a hybrid agent, the best of both worlds and the good news is, we think Rockett Home Rentals is already there. In fact, we have been since 2003.
The key features are that a Hybrid agent doesn’t have a high street shop and uses a lot of cloud-based technology.
Not on the High Street
Rockett Home Rentals has an office in Wolstanton with 6 full time staff dedicated solely to lettings. We don't have a high street shop as in this age of technology and doing things on the go, it's just not something we need in order to do well in the property industry. Most applicants contact us through our website or Rightmove and most of the paperwork is carried out on the day of moving into a property. By doing things this way, the savings we make on renting prime high street space can be passed onto landlords and tenants and this is reflected in our fees.
Cloud-Based Technology
Cloud-based technology is something we are very familiar with having transferred all of our emails over to Office 365 earlier this year. This means we can easily pick up emails on the go and you have the same access at home if needed.
We're also one of only a couple of agents in the area to use Fixflo, the online 24-hour maintenance reporting system, and it's one of the best things we've implemented at the company. In the last 6 months we've also started using Docusign which allows tenants and landlords to sign tenancy agreements remotely. It means we can sign important documents ahead of the move-in, saving time and an achy hand from all the writing!
In the last year the company has changed a lot and this year we are more prepared than ever for the busy summer season. Processes are faster and easier, and more time means a more dedicated service. We just keep getting better and better!
Whilst moving things online and using cloud-based technology is a great step forwards, we're not going to give up the face-to-face aspect of the company at all. Landlords and tenants still want the human interaction and being a local business without a distant call centre, we can still provide this. By law, all agents and landlords must obtain proof of an applicant's right to rent in England and this involves obtaining identification and taking a copy of it in person. Online agents simply cannot do this and should a tenant not be legally allowed to rent in the UK, there is a fine of up to £3,000. As a landlord, picking a hybrid agent means you get the best of both worlds whilst complying with all legislation so if you're not currently with an agent, contact Rockett Home Rentals today. If you are currently a Rockett Home Rentals landlord, keep doing what you're doing.
For more information about the technology we use, here are some handy links: