Author: Jonny Wootten

Investment in the UK Build to Rent sector hit another record high in 2021, according to research by global property consultancy Knight Frank, taking the full-year total to £4.3bn. The UK’s Build to Rent stock now stands at around 60,000 completed homes – with a further 170,000 either under construction, with planning granted, or in pre-planning.

This brings the total pipeline to a possible 230,000 Build to Rent homes due to be delivered in the coming years, bringing more choice, and increasing competition. But how can operators ensure they are attracting and retaining tenants?

Connectivity as a Necessity

Given that 92% of tenants prefer digital communications, offering a single place to connect digitally to their building should no longer be seen as a luxury but a necessity. Tenants move into Build to Rent developments to have some of their life admin taken care of – whether that’s handling package deliveries, managing visitors, or maintenance issues, having an easy way to enable these services is key.

Tenants no longer have the time or patience to go into multiple apps or portals to manage their daily lives, therefore it’s vital that operators start to think about the overall tenant experience. For instance, Spike’s resident engagement portal, Spike Living, allows tenants to virtually manage every aspect of their lives from a single app.

Tenant Interaction and Community Engagement  

When a tenant moves into a building, they may be unfamiliar with the surrounding area. Connecting them with local shops and services, or details that can bring convenience to their lives is a great way of ensuring they feel engaged from the offset. Many of Spike’s clients team up with local businesses to offer special discounts to their tenants on anything from cleaning services, dog walkers, to local restaurants. All of which can be promoted and driven through Spike Living.

Holding regular social events is also crucial in allowing friendships between neighbours to blossom. Research by Apartment Life found that the more friends a tenant has within their building, the more likely they are to renew their lease. Without any friends living in their community, tenants only have a 29% chance of renewing. That number jumps to 38% if they have 1-3 friends, and if they have 7 or more friends, there’s a 47% likelihood that they’ll renew.

On-site staff is likely already running regular social events for its tenants. With Spike Living, community managers can communicate and promote the details of the event, and drive all bookings via the portal, providing an easy way to understand how many tenants to expect, or what events are getting the most engagement.

Resident portals also allow tenants to interact with each other outside of social events, thanks to features like online clubs and forums – we’ve seen tenants start their own book clubs, and even arrange communal BBQs and beer tasting classes.

Streamlining Property Management

Feedback gained by HomeViews for their 2021 Build to Rent report found that tenants that had previous experience using resident portals instantly recognised how useful they would be in their new buildings. Tenants who did not have access to a portal also believed it would help issues be resolved quicker. Furthermore, there were also frustrations voiced about having to email reception to book onsite amenities, which makes accessing them a lot more laborious than it needs to be. Tenants want to do things when it suits them, without having to involve anyone else. A mobile portal enables tenants to complete important life admin, like paying rent, reporting a maintenance issue, booking the gym, or reading the latest fire safety policy – without having to rely on anyone else.

The benefits aren’t just in allowing tenants to have instant access to property managers, resident portals also provide property managers with an opportunity to be proactive, such as notifying tenants when a lift is out-of-service, promoting onsite events, or more importantly, sending out an urgent push notification informing tenants within minutes about an immediate danger, such as a fire in their block, so they can take the necessary action such as evacuating the building. 

With 31% of tenants choosing not to renew their lease due to seeking better apartment management according to research by NMHC and Kingsley, this seems the logical place to start.

Summary

As competition in the BTR sector increases, technology will play an ever-important role. Developments that do not offer an easy way for tenants to manage their daily lives certainly run the risk of falling behind. Spike Living makes the operation and management of BTR properties easier and more efficient than ever, ultimately improving tenant satisfaction and reducing turnover.

Technology has transformed virtually every aspect of our lives, including how we approach the property market, with many tenants now favouring digital interaction. Research by Rentalraters.com found that one-in-seven tenants rent “without viewing”. This trend is set to continue, with online reservations and virtual viewings becoming the new normal during the last few years.

With 91% of all tenants likely to use a mobile device the next time they are looking for somewhere to live according to research by Revel, it’s imperative that landlords ensure prospective tenants can easily find and browse their property portfolio online. Although many landlords list their properties on third-party sites like Zoopla or Rightmove, having their own website that lists out their properties for rent can also be beneficial. This may seem counterintuitive at first, however this allows the landlord to take greater control of the content shown, as well as managing what next steps perspective tenants should take. For instance, by capturing their immediate interest and allowing the prospective tenant to go straight into the onboarding process, this limits the likelihood that they will continue to browse and search for alternative properties elsewhere.

What’s more, end-to-end tenancy management software solutions such as Spike Lettings, can be white-labelled and completely customised to tie into your existing marketing website, creating a seamless experience which can also help to build brand awareness. If they still want to advertise on third-party platforms, then they have the ability to manage, control and publish all listings from a central place.

Why Digitalise the Onboarding Process?

By digitalising the applicant journey, prospective tenants can view the progression of their tenancy in real-time, communicate with the lettings team, sign contracts, and even make payments, all online. Being able to see where they are in the process can also help to manage expectations of how far along the journey they are. With every tenant following the same automated onboarding process, end-to-end tenancy management software like Spike Lettings can also provide examples of accepted documentation and a clear indication of which documents still need to be produced by the applicant, saving hundreds of admin hours having to chase for the right documents and speeding up the onboarding process. As well as having the potential to handle all reservations inhouse rather than relying on outsourced lettings agents.

Tenancy management software can also make tenant screening, arguably the most important part of the rental process, easier. Early detection of tenants who could cause damage to the property, break their tenancy, or pay rent late will also help landlords begin the tenancy with the best possible option. As online applicants increase, it’s vital that landlords are equipped to prevent fraud. From identity theft to fake bank statements, an unprepared landlord runs the risk of accepting bad applicants, which may lead to issues down the road.

Companies like Flatfair play a role in making the tenant onboarding process much slicker by eliminating the need for upfront deposits. Tenants can simply pay a one-off membership fee equal to one week’s rent (+VAT) at the start of their tenancy, authorise their debit card and settle bills at the end – similar to hotel’s check-in and out.

Managing Tenants Once They’ve Moved in

Once a tenant has moved in, resident portals can make the lives of landlords and tenants easier. According to research by NMHC and Kingsley, 58% of renters would rather pay rent using a resident portal rather than a property website via laptop/desktop. When rent is easy to pay, tenants are more likely to pay it. If they have to jump through hoops to pay their rent, the chances of it being late increases.

With a complete end-to-end tenancy management solution like Spike Lettings, landlords can also send out reminders to tenants a day or two before their rent is due and can even automate confirmations to let them know that their rent has been paid. Instead of waiting around for payments to come in or having to chase down tenants across multiple properties, they can easily view the status of each property, what rent has been paid, and what has yet to come in, all via a single dashboard.

Summary

The face-to-face business style of the property industry is changing forever, as online reservations become the new normal. Digital solutions such as Spike Lettings, can manage a tenant’s journey in its entirety, from initial enquiry, through the reservation stage, all the way to moving in, building a life there and connecting with the community.

Across our client base we saw an increase in residents joining ‘marketplace’ forums, set up to enable residents to easily sell and promote their items to their neighbours within their building. At the start of the year, and as lockdowns were slowly being lifted, we regularly saw games consoles, handmade jewellery, cooking equipment, chairs, sofas, and desks being listed. The marketplace is one of the most actively used forums across our client base, helping residents to find exactly what they need right on their doorstep.  

Some of our clients have also chosen to set up ‘I’m happy’ and ‘I’m not happy’ forums in their Spike Living portals. Residents can then post issues or praise accordingly. Although this might sound risky, it gives operators the right to reply to any complaints and keeps the problem contained. Moreover, it offers residents complete transparency which often translates into trust and loyalty. 

Greater Importance Placed on Health

2022 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT GUIDE

To help you hit the ground running in 2022 our Customer Success Team have put together a handy monthly guide which will hopefully provide you with some suggested content you could be sharing with your residents throughout the year.

When a new resident moves into a new building, they may be unfamiliar with the surrounding area. Connecting them with others in the building, local shops and services, or details that can bring convenience to their lives is a great way of ensuring residents feel engaged from the offset. Many of our clients team up with local businesses to offer exclusive discounts to their residents on anything from cleaning services, dog walkers, to local restaurants.

Holding regular social events is also an important way in allowing friendships between neighbours to blossom – whether that’s online or in-person. Research by Apartment Life found that the more friends a resident has within their building, the more likely they are to renew their lease. Without any friends living in their community, residents only have a 29% chance of renewing. That number jumps to 38% if they have 1-3 friends, and if they have 7 or more friends, there’s a 47% likelihood that they’ll renew.

Not Just a Fad

Download a copy of our 2022 Community Engagement Guide below.

Tenant expectations now go far beyond the four walls in which they live. Although, still an important factor in attracting tenants, amenities like pools and gyms, are no longer seen as such a strong differentiator, with many BTR operators now providing a whole host of amenities and services. The focus has shifted to the lifestyle the development can offer, placing a greater emphasis on convenience, connections, and meaningful living experiences.

Research by Apartment Life found that the more friends a tenant has within their building, the more likely they are to renew their tenancy. Without any friends living in their community, tenants only have a 29% chance of renewing. That number jumps to 38% if they have 1-3 friends, and if they have 7 or more friends, there’s a 47% likelihood that they’ll renew.

Despite social distancing, those developments using tenant portals still managed to allow friendships between neighbours to blossom. From online supper clubs to fitness and wellbeing events, tenant portals such as Spike Living have kept communities engaged and informed, and enabled tenants to find like-minded people who share similar interests. We’ve seen conversations on sharing food, how to entertain kids, tenants offering to deliver toilet roll and baked goods, or pick-up shopping – you name it! Tenant portals that have been created exclusively for building occupants also offer a better alternative to groups on Facebook or Nextdoor, which tend to be infiltrated by spammers and strangers.

Additionally, tenant portals can provide a much-needed lifeline to the local high street, whereby tenants are encouraged to use the services available to them on their doorstep. For instance, Spike Living enables developments to offer tenants a guide to all the places around them, and by partnering with local businesses, can offer exclusive discounts, encouraging tenants to fall in love with their independent chains.

It’s also proven that tenants who are engaged with their local community are often happier than those who are not and tend to post positive reviews about where they live on review sites such as HomeViews. According to a study by Apartments.com, 98% of apartment shoppers rely on reviews and ratings when looking for their next home, and 79% of respondents to NMHC’s Apartment Resident Preferences Report said that during an apartment hunt, they didn’t visit a development solely because the ratings and reviews were not favourable. These reviews can help attract new tenants keeping occupancy rates high and having tenants as champions is an effective tactic if you want to increase interest in your development, whilst reducing your marketing spend.

In Summary, BTR operators must start to place greater emphasis on building a community rather than solely focusing on the buildings themselves, where tenants can truly form meaningful connections with neighbours and staff alike, something that tenant portals such as Spike Living can help with.

Learn how Spike is working with a growing number of clients to drive tenant engagement and satisfaction by downloading our brochure below.