Accommodation.co.uk launches national lettings agency and franchise scheme
August 28, 2019
The next generation lettings agent is looking for franchisees across the UK ahead of its public launch in September.
The company has unveiled a first of its kind franchise offering for lettings experts, alongside the launch of its custom-built platform, which will streamline and automate the majority of administrative tasks to improve renting for landlords and Generation Rent.
Early bird franchisees will benefit from no startup fee for a limited time. An introductory price of £1,000 will be introduced before increasing in early 2020.
Lettings experts can establish their own Accommodation.co.uk franchise without the barriers that come with traditional letting agent franchises, such as a high initial payment and additional set up costs including marketing, office rental, property feeds and staff.
Accommodation.co.uk will enable its Local Lettings Consultants to run their business without the need for expensive high street offices, equipment and software. Instead, the company will be providing the Accommodation.co.uk platform and head office support within the pricing structure.
Accommodation.co.uk streamlines the rental process by automating the majority of property letting and management tasks. This enables franchisees to focus on letting properties and developing their business while receiving training and marketing support from Accommodation.co.uk along the way.
A central property management team based at the company’s Manchester central support centre supports its network of Lettings Consultants to take on day to day property management duties.
The platform will be officially launched for landlords and tenants in September in new locations across the UK.
Clive Tomlinson, lettings business development manager at Accommodation.co.uk and former Business Development Manager at Belvoir said: “A lot of talented, ambitious lettings professionals are facing immense difficulty in the face of mass closures of traditional letting agents. We’re offering a highly competitive start up fee to empower experts to set up their own business while still benefiting from Accommodation.co.uk’s expertise, training and resources.
“The majority of time-consuming administrative tasks will be handled by the platform, freeing up our franchisees to concentrate on delivering a great experience for landlords and tenants alike. We’re an ambitious company and we’re excited to work with our franchisees to grow across the UK to improve renting for everyone.”
Entrepreneur and experienced property investor John Lomas, 58, Aaron Short, 24, and Matthew Meekins, 23, co-founded Accommodation.co.uk while Aaron and Matthew were studying at the University of Lincoln. The company has recently opened its new headquarters in Manchester’s Spinningfields as part of the company’s ambitious growth plans to create 50 new jobs in the next three years.
Ahead of launch, Aaron said: “In the past several years, we’ve built a truly revolutionary solution to the UK’s rental problem, we’re excited to officially launch Accommodation.co.uk to help landlords and Generation Rent get the best out of renting by combining our customer built CRM platform with a network of Local Lettings Consultants.
“We’ve already had an overwhelming response from property professionals who are looking to set up a franchise, with several already undergoing training, as well as our Local Lettings Consultants who are open for business in September. At the moment we have plans to launch three new Local Lettings Consultants each month, and this is likely to increase due to demand.
“More and more people across the UK are either choosing to rent or are frozen out of the UK housing market, and many of those people are contenting with substandard private rental properties, extortionate fees and a poor customer experience. Generation Rent have become accustomed to apps and instant communication, so by emulating an Airbnb experience, we’re creating a more accessible and streamlined experience from start to finish. It will also ensure that once a tenancy begins, there is more accountability and transparency.”
Through the platform, tenants can find properties and arrange a viewing, make an offer on a property, complete the referencing, including wage verification and a credit check, all in just 10 minutes. Successful tenants will be able to sign the tenancy agreement and make a deposit payment. After move in, tenants can access a dashboard where they can report maintenance problems and communicate with their landlord.
Landlords can opt for full property management or a let only option, depending on their needs. Each journey begins by booking a free consultation online to arrange a meeting with a local Lettings Consultant, which will include a market appraisal and compliance report. The Lettings Consultant will onboard existing tenants who can then access the Accommodation.co.uk platform, market the property and host viewings when tenancies become available. Once new tenants are onboard, landlords will be able to see rent status, a maintenance overview and receive compliance reminders.
Clive added: “By sharing the power of proptech with our local lettings consultants, we’ll enable them to focus on what they’re good at and what really matters to landlords and tenants. By enabling our lettings consultants to work remotely with the full backing of our central team, we’re able to keep outgoings low and earnings high – something that traditional lettings agents simply can’t do.”
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