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What’s New & Improved this November

Client Hub

Ownership Changes – This process now contains a section in the pop up to add in a ledger comment as written by you to both the old and new owner as required. This means the ledger comment can contain individualised information per owner. Simply press on the ‘+ Add Ledger Comment’ and the note will appear on the ledger once processed. 

Viewings

Post Viewing Report

A small change has been made to the post viewings report – we have removed the ‘Days Vacant’ count and only show the count on ‘Days Available’. This number reflects that true value of time the property has been available for rent while on the market rather than including days the property has been vacant due to renovations or other circumstances where the property was unavailable to rent. 

Cancelling Viewings

For viewings that are not confirmed you will no longer need to enter a reason to cancel. However, if you are bulk cancelling viewings and at least 1 is confirmed a reason is still required. 

Inspections

Access Notes

You can now schedule for a specific inspection area based on post codes which will focus your property inspections to those post codes entered into your user profile settings. Enter in the post codes under the setting labelled ‘Inspection Area Postcodes’ before attempting to schedule to ensure a smooth scheduling process. Learn more on how to schedule based on post codes in this article. 

In addition, a setting has been added in Inspection Profile Settings labelled ‘Exclude access issue from scheduling calculations’. If selected, properties that have been flagged in the client hub will not be include in inspection run calculations when scheduling in OurProperty.

Scheduled Sending of Reports

A prompt is now in place when sending a property inspection report from the computer dashboard where you can select to send immediately or schedule the send to another date and time. When scheduled it will show in the inspection lists that it is scheduled to send and the date and time of the schedule. The schedule send option is not currently available when sending from the PM Inspect App. 

Maintenance

Invoices

When approving an invoice for payment you now have the ability to change the due date within the approval screen. The dates available to select are only those within 14 days from the invoice approval date. Being able to choose a date for payment means you can set an order for maintenance invoices being submitted by the tradie and bring a payment date forward to be paid as soon as funds are in hand. 
 

Maintenance

Job Details

There is now a section in the job details page and work sheet PDF for an “Agency job responsibility statement”. The content in this section is controlled in Settings > Maintenance > Agency job responsibility statement.

As a default the text is currently left blank and is ready for you to enter your own wording for display. For example, this can be used to advise that all jobs are requested on behalf of the property owner and all financial responsibility is for the owner only and all invoices must be submitted via OurTradie. However you have free reign over what common message you would like displayed to all tradies for their jobs. 

If no wording is provided into the setting the section will not show on the job details page and PDF job sheet. 

Settings

We have moved a number of agency settings from the Preferences section to the OP Payments section that are more suitable to this area of the platform.

  • The following settings have been moved:
  • No Invoice for Recurring Period
  • Incoming Invoice Notice Threshold
  • Invoice Number Restriction
  • Creditor creation alert
  • Generate Suggested Invoice Numbers
  • Lock Suggested Outgoing Invoice Numbers
  • Lock Suggested Incoming Invoice Numbers
  • Overdue Invoice Notification Recipients
  • Overdue Invoice Notification Warning

Changelog

We want to ensure you’re up to date with the latest improvements and enhancements in our product. While this product update article provided important information about some of our major changes, there are many more updates waiting for you in our changelog. Click on this link to access our changelog and discover additional features, bug fixes, and optimisations that were not included in the article. Don’t miss out on the complete picture of our progress.

Make sure to save to the new key number against the property.

These new features and updates conclude what is new at OurProperty for November 2023! If you have any questions about any of these new features or updates, please do not hesitate to contact your OurProperty Account Mananger.

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40 Proven Ways to Grow Your Rent Roll and Boost Your Property Management Business

Building and growing your rent roll is essential to the success of your property management business.

A rent roll is the total number of properties that you manage for rental income. The more properties you have on your rent roll, the more income you generate. But how do you grow your rent roll? Here are 40 ways to help you increase your rent roll and grow your property management business.

  1. Network with other real estate agents: Building relationships with other real estate agents in your area can help you generate more leads and referrals. Attend local events and join professional organisations to connect with other agents.

  2. Attend networking events: Attend networking events and seminars to meet new people and make connections. This can help you build your reputation and expand your network.

  3. Offer a referral fee to other agents who refer clients to you: Offering a referral fee can motivate other agents to recommend your services to their clients. Make sure to set a reasonable fee that is within your budget.

  4. Host open houses to attract new clients: Hosting open houses can help you showcase your properties to potential clients. Use this opportunity to build relationships with attendees and collect their contact information.

  5. Advertise your services on social media platforms: Social media is a powerful tool for promoting your services and connecting with potential clients. Use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to reach your target audience.

  6. Create a website to showcase your services: A professional website can help you showcase your services and build your credibility. Make sure your website is optimised for search engines and easy to navigate.

  7. Offer incentives to existing clients for referring new business: Offering incentives to existing clients can encourage them to recommend your services to their friends and family. Consider offering discounts on management fees or other rewards.

  8. Attend landlord-tenant association meetings: Attend meetings of landlord-tenant associations to stay up-to-date on industry trends and connect with other professionals.

  9. Offer a free rental appraisal to potential clients: Offering a free rental appraisal can help you attract new clients and demonstrate your expertise.

  10. Join local business associations: Joining local business associations can help you build relationships with other professionals in your community and generate new leads.

  11. Offer a discount to clients who sign up for long-term property management contracts: Offering discounts on management fees for long-term contracts can help you attract clients who are looking for a reliable, long-term partnership.

  12. Attend property investment seminars: Attend seminars on property investment to learn about the latest trends and connect with potential clients.

  13. Attend industry conferences: Attend industry conferences to network with other professionals and stay up-to-date on industry trends.

  14. Offer a free rental guide to potential clients: Offering a free rental guide can help you attract new clients and demonstrate your expertise.

  15. Host property investment seminars: Hosting property investment seminars can help you establish yourself as an expert in the industry and attract new clients.

  16. Create partnerships with property investors: Creating partnerships with property investors can help you generate new leads and build your reputation.

  17. Offer a tenant loyalty program: Offering a tenant loyalty program can help you retain tenants and reduce turnover.

  18. Advertise your services in local newspapers and magazines: Advertising in local newspapers and magazines can help you reach a wider audience and generate new leads.

  19. Offer a free property inspection to potential clients: Offering a free property inspection can help you attract new clients and demonstrate your expertise.

  20. Create a referral program for existing clients: Creating a referral program can encourage existing clients to recommend your services to their friends and family.

  21. Attend real estate auctions: Attending real estate auctions can help you connect with potential clients who are looking to buy or sell properties.

  22. Advertise your services on property websites: Advertising on property websites can help you reach a wider audience and generate new leads.

  23. Develop a marketing strategy: Developing a marketing strategy can help you focus your efforts and reach your target audience more effectively.

  24. Offer a discount on management fees for properties with multiple units: Offering discounts on management fees for properties with multiple units can help you attract clients who own multiple properties.

  25. Advertise your services on real estate listing websites: Advertising on real estate listing websites can help you reach

  26. Offer a rent guarantee program: Offering a rent guarantee program can help you attract new clients by providing them with peace of mind knowing that they will receive a guaranteed rental income.

  27. Develop a referral network with local businesses: Developing a referral network with local businesses can help you generate new leads and referrals. Consider partnering with local moving companies, cleaning services, and contractors to offer bundled services.

  28. Use targeted online advertising: Using targeted online advertising can help you reach your ideal audience and generate new leads. Consider using platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Ads to promote your services.

  29. Offer a tenant placement service: Offering a tenant placement service can help you attract new clients who are looking for a hands-off approach to property management.

  30. Conduct regular market research: Conducting regular market research can help you stay up-to-date on industry trends and adjust your strategies accordingly.

  31. Use email marketing to stay in touch with clients: Using email marketing can help you stay in touch with existing clients and nurture relationships over time.

  32. Create a blog to showcase your expertise: Creating a blog can help you establish yourself as an expert in the industry and attract new clients.

  33. Offer a rent-to-own program: Offering a rent-to-own program can help you attract new clients who are looking for a path to homeownership.

  34. Implement a tenant screening process: Implementing a tenant screening process can help you attract higher-quality tenants and reduce your risk of property damage and unpaid rent.

  35. Offer property maintenance services: Offering property maintenance services can help you generate additional revenue and provide added value to your clients.

  36. Partner with local schools and universities: Partnering with local schools and universities can help you attract student renters and generate new leads.

  37. Use video marketing to showcase your properties: Using video marketing can help you showcase your properties in a more engaging and dynamic way.

  38. Offer a pet-friendly program: Offering a pet-friendly program can help you attract new clients who own pets and reduce your risk of vacancy.

  39. Implement a rent increase strategy: Implementing a rent increase strategy can help you maximise your rental income over time.

  40. Use data analytics to optimize your operations: Using data analytics can help you identify areas for improvement and optimise your operations to maximise efficiency and profitability.

At OurProperty, we understand the importance of growing your rent roll and building a successful property management business. Our comprehensive property management technology is designed to help you streamline your operations, automate routine tasks, and maximise your rental income.
 
With features like tenant portals, online rent payment processing, and automated lease renewals, OurProperty can help you save time and reduce your workload. If you’re ready to take your property management business to the next level, book a demo with us today and see how OurProperty can help you achieve your goals.

If you’d like to see more and maybe get a demo – simple click the book free demo button below.

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Essential Tips for Property Managers in the New Financial Year

By staying ahead of the game and implementing effective practices, you can enhance tenant satisfaction, streamline operations, and optimise financial performance.

In this blog, we will explore some valuable tips to help property managers navigate the new financial year successfully.

Conduct a Comprehensive Property Audit:

At the start of the financial year, perform a thorough audit of each property you manage. Assess the condition of the property, identify any maintenance or repair needs, and ensure compliance with relevant regulations. This evaluation will help you create a maintenance plan and budget, ensuring the properties are well-maintained throughout the year.

Review and Adjust Rental Rates:

Evaluate the rental market in your area and review the current rental rates. Consider factors such as location, property condition, and market demand to determine if an adjustment in rental rates is necessary. Make sure your rental rates are competitive and in line with the market trends to attract quality tenants and maximise rental income.

Enhance Tenant Communication:

Maintaining strong communication with tenants is crucial for a successful property management business. Use the new financial year as an opportunity to improve your tenant communication strategy. Implement efficient channels such as online portals, email updates, or newsletters to keep tenants informed about property-related matters, policy changes, and upcoming events.

Streamline Rent Collection:

To ensure a smooth cash flow throughout the financial year, consider implementing an automated rent collection system. Online payment platforms or direct debit options make it easier for tenants to pay rent promptly while minimising administrative tasks for property managers. Efficient rent collection processes contribute to better financial management and reduce the risk of late or missed payments.

Review and Update Lease Agreements:

Review your lease agreements to ensure they comply with current legal regulations and industry standards. Incorporate any necessary updates or changes to protect the interests of both property owners and tenants. Clear and comprehensive lease agreements reduce the likelihood of disputes and help maintain positive landlord-tenant relationships.

Enhance Property Marketing:

Take advantage of the new financial year to review and enhance your property marketing strategies. Optimise property listings on various platforms, update property descriptions, and use high-quality photographs to attract prospective tenants. Consider utilising social media platforms, online advertisements, and targeted marketing campaigns to expand your reach and increase property visibility.

Strengthen Vendor Relationships:

Developing strong relationships with reliable vendors, contractors, and service providers is vital for efficient property management. Review your existing vendor relationships and seek opportunities to build new partnerships or negotiate better contracts. Reliable and responsive vendors contribute to timely property maintenance, cost efficiency, and overall tenant satisfaction.

Embrace Technology:

Harness the cutting-edge capabilities of OurProperty software to revolutionise your property management processes. By integrating this advanced technology into your operations, you can streamline tasks such as maintenance requests, accounting, and tenant screening. Embracing OurProperty software not only saves valuable time and resources but also elevates the accuracy of your data management, leading to more efficient and effective property management. Experience the transformative impact of technology with OurProperty and propel your business to new heights.

The new financial year presents property managers with a chance to reassess their strategies and improve your operations. By implementing these tips, property managers can navigate the challenges of the new financial year while providing excellent service to property owners and tenants alike.

If you’d like to see more and maybe get a demo – simple click the book free demo button below.

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Unlocking Growth Potential: Leveraging OurProperty’s Reporting and Analytics Tool

This is where OurProperty, the leading cloud-based property management software in Australia, truly shines.

In this blog post, we will explore how OurProperty’s robust reporting and analytics tools can unlock growth potential for property managers and agency owners.

1. Streamlining Data Collection and Analysis:

Gone are the days of sifting through endless spreadsheets and paperwork. OurProperty simplifies data collection by automating various processes, such as rent payments, maintenance requests, and lease renewals.

With all your property-related information centralised in one platform, you can easily generate reports and gain actionable insights.

2. Real-Time Reporting:

OurProperty provides real-time reporting capabilities, allowing property managers to access up-to-date information at their fingertips. Whether you need to analyse rent arrears, track maintenance requests, or monitor property vacancies, the software offers customisable reports that cater to your specific needs.

This empowers you to make timely, data-driven decisions that can enhance efficiency and drive profitability.

3. Customisable Dashboards:

OurProperty’s customisable dashboards enable property managers and agency owners to create personalised views of their key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics. Whether you prefer visual charts, graphs, or tables, you can configure the dashboard to display the most relevant information.

This feature provides an at-a-glance overview of your property portfolio’s performance, enabling you to identify trends, spot areas for improvement, and capitalise on opportunities.

4. Financial Insights:

Managing financial aspects is a critical aspect of property management. OurProperty’s reporting and analytics tools offer detailed financial insights, including rent roll analysis, income and expense tracking, and financial forecasting.

By leveraging these features, you can gain a deep understanding of your financial position, identify areas of revenue growth, and optimise your cash flow management.

5. Tenant and Lease Analysis:

Understanding your tenants and lease agreements is crucial for maintaining a healthy rental portfolio. OurProperty’s reporting capabilities allow property managers to track tenant profiles, lease expiration dates, and rental income trends. Armed with this information, you can proactively manage lease renewals, identify high-performing tenants, and minimise tenant turnover.

Additionally, you can identify potential issues, such as late payment patterns, and take proactive steps to address them before they escalate.

6. Performance Benchmarking:

Comparing your property’s performance against industry benchmarks is key to staying competitive. OurProperty’s reporting tools enable you to benchmark your property’s financial and operational performance against similar properties in your area.

This information provides valuable insights into how well your property is performing compared to the market average, allowing you to identify areas for improvement and develop strategies to outperform competitors.

7. Portfolio Analysis and Growth Strategies:

OurProperty’s reporting and analytics tools facilitate in-depth portfolio analysis, empowering property managers and agency owners to make strategic decisions regarding property acquisition, expansion, or divestment.

By analysing property performance metrics, vacancy rates, and market trends, you can identify underperforming properties, assess investment opportunities, and align your portfolio with your growth objectives.

OurProperty’s reporting and analytics tools offer property managers and agency owners a powerful advantage in the highly competitive property management industry. By leveraging real-time data, customisable reporting, and detailed insights, you can streamline your operations, make informed decisions, and unlock your property portfolio’s growth potential.

Whether it’s optimising financial performance, enhancing tenant relationships, or identifying market trends, OurProperty equips you with the tools you need to thrive in the dynamic world of property management.

If you’d like to see more and maybe get a demo – simple click the book free demo button below.

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From Good to Great: How Our Property Management Software Can Boost Your Efficiency

Are you a property manager looking to up your game?

As a property manager, you have a lot on your plate. You’re responsible for ensuring that your properties are well-maintained, that your tenants are happy, and that your finances are in order. It can be a daunting task, but using property management software like ours can help you be a more effective property manager. 

Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your property management software and be a more effective property manager.

Use automation to your advantage

One of the biggest benefits of property management software is that it allows you to automate various tasks. This can save you a lot of time and effort and help you be more productive. Make sure you’re taking advantage of all the automation features in your software. This might include automatic rent collection, automated lease renewals, and automatic maintenance requests.

Stay organised

Good organisation is key to being an effective property manager. Use your property management software to keep all your property information in one place, including lease agreements, tenant information, and maintenance requests. Make sure you’re using the software’s organisation features to stay on top of everything, such as setting reminders for lease renewals and maintenance tasks.

Communicate effectively with tenants

Effective communication is essential for building strong relationships with your tenants. Use your property management software to communicate with tenants, whether it’s sending out newsletters or responding to maintenance requests. Make sure you’re using the software’s communication features to keep tenants informed and engaged.

Monitor finances closely

Managing finances is a big part of being a property manager, and property management software can help you stay on top of your finances. Use the software to track rent payments, expenses, and other financial transactions. Make sure you’re using the software’s reporting features to generate financial reports and stay up-to-date on your finances.

Take advantage of training and support

Many property management software providers offer training and support to help you get the most out of your software. Take advantage of these resources to learn how to use the software effectively and troubleshoot any issues you may encounter.

Using property management software can help you be a more effective property manager. By taking advantage of automation, staying organised, communicating effectively with tenants, monitoring finances closely, and taking advantage of training and support, you can use our software to manage your properties more efficiently and effectively. By doing so, you can ensure that your properties are well-maintained, your tenants are happy, and your finances are in order.

If you’d like to see more and maybe get a demo – simple click the book free demo button below.

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Are you tired of managing properties manually and worrying about risks?

Are you tired of managing property manually and worrying about risks?

When it comes to property management, risk management is an essential aspect of ensuring success. Property managers need to take steps to minimise risks associated with property management, including legal liabilities, financial risks, and operational risks. This is where OurProperty, the best property management software in the market, can help. Here’s why:

Document Management

OurProperty allows property managers to store and organise important documents, including leases, contracts, and tenant applications. This reduces the risk of losing important paperwork, ensuring that all relevant information is readily accessible in case of legal disputes.

Maintenance Management

OurProperty enables property managers to track maintenance requests, work orders, and inspections. This helps ensure that properties are regularly maintained, reducing the risk of accidents, injuries, or equipment failure that could lead to legal liabilities.

Tenant Screening

OurProperty includes tenant screening tools that help property managers evaluate potential tenants based on their rental history, credit score, and criminal background. This helps reduce the risk of renting to tenants who may be prone to late payments or property damage.

Accounting and Financial Management

OurProperty allows property managers to easily track income and expenses, generate financial reports, and automate rent collection. This helps reduce the risk of financial errors, ensuring that property managers are accurately tracking their finances and making informed decisions.

Compliance and Regulation Management

OurProperty includes tools to help property managers stay up-to-date with local laws and regulations. This reduces the risk of legal penalties or fines, ensuring that property managers are compliant with all relevant regulations.

Customisable Alerts and Reminders

OurProperty allows property managers to set up customizable alerts and reminders, ensuring that important tasks are not forgotten or overlooked. This helps reduce the risk of missed deadlines, overlooked tasks, or neglected properties.

OurProperty is the best property management software in the market for minimising risk. With its document management, maintenance management, tenant screening, accounting and financial management, compliance and regulation management, and customisable alerts and reminders, property managers can reduce the risk of legal liabilities, financial risks, and operational risks. 

If you’re looking for a property management software that can help you minimise risk, OurProperty is the way to go. Book your personalised demo today!

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Why do Property Managers love OurProperty

Why do Property Manager love OurProperty?

Managing rental properties can be a challenging and time-consuming task. Property managers are responsible for a wide range of tasks, from finding and screening tenants to handling maintenance and repair issues. It can be a lot to handle, especially for property managers who have to juggle multiple properties at once. That’s where OurProperty comes in. OurProperty is a property management software that helps property managers streamline their operations and stay on top of their tasks. 

 

In this blog, we’ll explore why property managers need OurProperty and how it can help them be more efficient and effective.

 

Efficient Communication

 

One of the most significant challenges that property managers face is communication. Keeping track of all communication with tenants, vendors, and other stakeholders can be a daunting task. With OurProperty, property managers can easily communicate with tenants and vendors through the software’s messaging platform. This streamlines the communication process and ensures that important messages don’t get lost in the shuffle. Plus, with OurProperty, all communication is stored in one central location, making it easy to keep track of.

 

Easy Rent Collection

 

Rent collection is a critical aspect of property management, but it can be time-consuming and tedious. OurProperty makes rent collection easy and efficient. With the software, property managers can set up automated rent collection, so they don’t have to spend time chasing down late payments. Tenants can pay their rent online, and the funds are automatically deposited into the property manager’s account. This eliminates the need for manual rent collection and reduces the risk of errors.

 

Streamlined Maintenance and Repair

 

Maintenance and repair requests are a part of property management, and OurProperty helps property managers stay on top of these tasks. The software allows tenants to submit maintenance requests online, which are then routed to the appropriate vendor. Property managers can track the status of maintenance and repair requests in real-time, so they always know what’s going on. OurProperty also integrates with popular property maintenance apps, making it easy to manage maintenance tasks from one central location.

 

Simplified Accounting

 

Accounting can be a headache for property managers, but OurProperty makes it easy. The software integrates with popular accounting software, such as QuickBooks & XERO, making it easy to manage finances0.. Property managers can track income and expenses, generate financial reports, and even pay bills directly through the software. This simplifies the accounting process and saves property managers time.

 

Centralised Document Management

 

Keeping track of lease agreements, vendor contracts, and other important documents can be a challenge. OurProperty helps property managers stay organised with a centralised document management system. All important documents can be uploaded to the software, making it easy to access them when needed. This eliminates the need for manual document management and reduces the risk of losing important documents.

 

OurProperty is an essential tool for property managers who want to streamline their operations and stay on top of their tasks. With features like efficient communication, easy rent collection, streamlined maintenance and repair, simplified accounting, and centralised document management, property managers can save time and be more effective. 

 

If you’re a property manager, consider giving OurProperty a try and see how it can help you improve your operations.

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What’s New & Improved this January #2

Reports

We have released two (2) new reports into the menu to assist with financial tracking and understanding, and new business management.

Detailed Fees Statement – This new report expands the existing fees statement report to provide a detailed overview on fee income for your agency. See the property address, fee amount, date paid and associated company profile for every fee type collected. The report can also be exported to a CSV file for internal business use, and includes the search options ‘Date Range’, ‘Keyword’, ‘Company Profile’, and ‘Property Manager’ for specific filtering as required. Find this under Reports > Financial > Detailed Fees Transaction Report

NBSU Lost Report – This new business report shows new managements that have been lost within 365 days since the new mgmt. start date. It includes the property address, property manager and new business sign up user, the mgmt. start date and expiry date, how long the property was an active management and the lost reason. Use the search parameters to see properties lost within a particular date range or for a specific PM, and export to a CVS file for internal agency use. Find this under Reports > Management > NBSU Lost Report

Tenancy Rental References

Further improving the automated tenancy rental reference responses, you can now trigger to manually send a rental reference to any email address for a tenant via the common actions icon in the tenant card. The complete reference includes the tenancy ledger and will show in the Reference Response Report to be viewed at any time. See, ‘How to send a tenant rental reference’ article to learn more on this process.

Payments

Primary Tenant – Within the tenant card you may have noticed a new icon next to a tenants name. This new icon identifies which tenant is the primary person responsible for the payment of rent and invoices for the property. There is no action associated with this new icon and is an improved visibility tool only.

Failed Disbursement – Added to the property card is a new field labelled ‘Failed Disb’ which will show if the owner disbursement of funds has failed and OurProperty was unable to deposit the money into their account. An information icon sits next to the amount that failed to disburse to see why the payment was unsuccessful. From the information provided you can correct the error and the funds will be automatically paid in the next disbursement run.

Applications

Sending notices to tenants paying via the OP tenancy wallet – We have now enabled the ability to send arrears notices whilst a tenant on wallet has a pending payment. Because the tenant may have paid with the transfer still processing, we have added a warning icon to the arrears page when this situation is detected.

When hovering over the icon, the following text is displayed: “It is possible the tenant has paid in the last three days. Please contact the tenant to confirm if they have paid before issuing this notice.”

Find the revert transfer button on the tenancy application in the ‘incomplete’ tab for the target transfer property. Learn more in the article ‘How to revert an application transfer’

Arrears

For owners being paid via OurProperty Payments, you will now see a summary of the property financial balances when approving a maintenance invoice for payment from Rent. This allows for improved visibility on current available funds and a greater understanding of when the invoice will be paid to the tradie. Alternatively, if you see the owner has no available funds for payment you can request funds from the Landlord for any invoices that may be urgent.

This allows for visibility and a greater understanding on whether you wish to proceed with sending the notice and can be used when in discussions with the owner regarding the tenants arrears.

The arrears message sent to the tenant now contains the following text: “Please note that the bank takes up to three banking days to process your payment to your wallet. In this time, you may receive arrears notices that don’t take your payment into account before it has been cleared by the bank. Please disregard these notices if you have already paid.”

Leases

Tenant Message – A separate tab has been added to the lease page for you to include a personal message to the tenant. The message is merged into the lease offer templates for lease renewals and new leases and is not included in the completion email, increase reminders, or signing reminders.

Once the lease offer is sent to the tenant, the tenant message tab is shown by default when you open the lease page. A Message can be added at any time and can be changed if needed for resending the offer or to advise the tenant of an approval/rejection for their change request.

Management Expiry Dates

New Setting ‘Allow Past Management Expiry Dates’ – An agency setting has been added to the preferences tab that provides options for how far in the past a mgmt. expiry date can be added against a property.

The restriction is applied to Property Manager and Office Admin user types only. Office Managers can enter a management expiry date outside of these parameters.

Keys

New key reminder – OurProperty now sends a reminder each day to PMs of inactive properties with a key number still assigned. This is a reminder to remove the key number so it can be assigned to another property and is being sent in preparation for OurProperty restricting key number assignment if already in use.

Key Collection – When signing out a key for collection, you can now search by the property address or key number.

Key Prefixes – We have implemented to the ability to add a key prefix under Settings > Company > Key Number Prefix and Settings > Company Profiles >Key Number Prefix. Each company profile can have its own prefix for the set of key numbers generated.

Find this new prefix option in your agency settings today!

Key number suggestion – The OurProperty platform can now provide a key number suggestion for a property and will include the prefix that is set for the agency and relevant company profile. This process can be actioned from two areas; the Client Hub property card & the property profile accessed from the admin > properties list.

From the client hub, edit the property card and press on the light bulb icon to generate a suggested unused key number.

When a group of properties is created, the group details will display in the owner card and show the balance information for those grouped properties only. You can create more than one group of properties allowing for owners with a large investment portfolio to set up an invoice payment structure that best suits their financial preferences.

To learn more on how to set up paying invoices from pooled funds, and creating a group of pooled fund properties, refer to this article here.

Or, from the property profile page, press ‘Suggest Key Number’.

Make sure to save to the new key number against the property.

These new features and updates conclude what is new at OurProperty for January 2023! If you have any questions about any of these new features or updates, please do not hesitate to contact your OurProperty Account Mananger.

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What’s New & Improved this January

Lettings

A new action has been added to the drop-down menu on submitted applications labelled ‘Processing’. When selected, an email will send to the applicants to advise their application has been received and is being processed by the agency. You can find and edit the email template in your agency settings > Lettings tab > Email Settings Tab > Processing Application Notification to Tenant.  

Supporting Documents can now be uploaded & deleted by the Property Manager when editing an application. These options can be carried out on both complete and incomplete applications by opening the applicants full application details and pressing edit to unlock the Additional Supporting Documents functions.

Vacating Tenancy - Automated Rental References

Automatic rental reference request responses are now live & sending for SNUG. This is in addition to requests from IRE. If you missed this in our last update, OurProperty can now handle the completion of these and reply directly to the sender on behalf of your agency.

All questions on the rental reference request form are answered from pulled data in OurProperty with rental ledgers automatically attached to the reply.

We have also built a report for you to keep track of the tenancies where rental requests have been received and the status of the reply. You can find this under Reports > Admin > Reference Response Report.

To utilise this great new feature and reduce the labour time for your agency on completing and returning references, simply forward the rental requests received by SUNG and IRE to referencerequest@ourproperty.com.au and let us do the hard work for you!

Learn more on how to set up automatic rental references & how to manage any potential errors here.  

Due to tenant privacy concerns and the process in which a privacy statement is signed for REA tenancy applications, we have disabled the automatic reference responses for REA requests. An email will be implemented for REA requests and responded to on your behalf to advise we are unable to complete the reference.

Currently, REA does not show or reference a privacy statement to the applicant before triggering the reference request and the signature is auto-generated when the applicants completes their rental profile. We hope you understand and appreciate our concern regarding your tenants private information.

Maintenance

Jobs that have been marked as ‘LL responsibility’ and ‘LL Tradie Responsibility’ have 2 new action buttons added to the job page.

Revert to Requested – will move the job back to the requests page to be actioned again as per the PM/Owner preference. The job can be handled as per a new request that has been submitted by the tenant to be referred to an agency tradie for quotes or to complete the work.

Cancel Job – will close off the job and stop all reminders to the Landlord.

When either button is actioned by the Property Manager, the history log will show the time and date this was done.

When viewing All Jobs there is a new filter option to search via a Landlord. If the owner owns more than one property, all maintenance jobs for the various properties will be visible.  

A small change has been made to the rejected quote email template sent to the tradie when the owner proceeds with an alternative option. The message now states that ‘the quote was not selected as the owners preference’.

Maintenance emails and SMS cannot be edited by the agency.

For owners being paid via OurProperty Payments, you will now see a summary of the property financial balances when approving a maintenance invoice for payment from Rent. This allows for improved visibility on current available funds and a greater understanding of when the invoice will be paid to the tradie. Alternatively, if you see the owner has no available funds for payment you can request funds from the Landlord for any invoices that may be urgent.

Two (2) new room categories have been added to the PM Inspect App for ‘Driveway’ & ‘Electric Gate’. These rooms can be added to the Room List by pressing on New and selecting either or both options from the list of rooms provided in the scroll menu. Both new options sit at the bottom of the scroll list.

Client Hub

When sending an Entry Notice from the Client Hub you can now include a CC email address to send a copy to an alternative contact. Use this option to send a copy to the entering tradesperson or a person outside of your OurProperty database.

Tenant Notes added via the tenant card can now be automatically applied to the Landlord and/or Property cards when creating the note. These tick box options eliminate any need for double handling and ensure note visibility across all areas of the Client Hub.

For owners of multiple properties, you now have the ability to create a group or multiple groups of properties to pay invoices from Pooled Funds. This means you can easily identify, control, and manage which property funds accumulate together to pay towards invoice expenses.

When a group of properties is created, the group details will display in the owner card and show the balance information for those grouped properties only. You can create more than one group of properties allowing for owners with a large investment portfolio to set up an invoice payment structure that best suits their financial preferences.

To learn more on how to set up paying invoices from pooled funds, and creating a group of pooled fund properties, refer to this article here.

The property card now displays if the tenants are on a rental payment plan to pay off arrears. This will simply show ‘YES’ if a payment plan is in place, and you can review the payment plan details via the Arrears Report, Rental Payment Plan.

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What’s New & Improved this month

New Wallet Types

Tenancy Wallet

For those tenants who pay rent and invoices via the OurProperty Tenancy Wallet, we have introduced 2 new wallet options to better suit different tenancy types. These new options are:

  • Tenancy Wallet – Long Term: suitable for long-term renters who may struggle to pay on time however the agency and owners are comfortable with their situation.
  • Tenancy Wallet – Charity: suitable for institutions who want all funds they pay to be allocated to rent or invoices.

Each new wallet type has it’s own fee structure made relevant to those who will suit these options. The new wallet types can only be set up by payments responsible property managers and cannot be selected by tenants when choosing to pay via the wallet. To learn more on these tenancy wallet types and how your agency can set these up for tenants, please refer to this article.

 

OurProperty has also made improvements to the direct debit workflow for the Tenancy Wallet payment method. A detailed article has been added to the knowledge base for you to review how the processes will occur when there are both sufficient funds and insufficient funds, and what occurs when the tenants fall into arrears – You can access this article here to learn more.

Letting Updates

New Tab for viewing and adding tenant enquires

We have added a ‘Tenant Enquiries’ tab to the viewings page so you can see a full list of prospective renters that have enquired on a property. From here, you can also add new enquiries to your advertised rental properties.

 

  1. Click on magnifying glass to see the original enquiry email,
  2. Click the Bell icon to unsubscribe or re-subscribe the user the email and SMS communications,
  3. Press on New Enquiry for register a new prospective renter,
  4. Click on the green document icon to export the full list of enquires directly to your desktop.

Click into your Viewings component > Tenant Enquiries tab to see these new features.

New settings for Saturday viewings

Two new settings have been added to the Property Manager profile settings > Viewings tab to accommodate for different open home processes carried out on a Saturday

  1. Tenants cannot schedule Saturdays’ – When enabled, Saturday inspection times will be excluded from the tenant self-schedule options. This means prospective rents will be unable to self-schedule inspection times for a Saturday.
  2.  Saturday Start & End Locations – You can now enter alternative start and end locations for Saturday inspections. This is suitable for Property Managers who may travel directly from and to home when conducting their weekend open inspections or provides greater flexibility between travelling from the office and home addresses for weekly and weekend inspections

Tenancy Applications

For incomplete applications, you can now add additional applicants to lease holders or approved occupants to the application form directly from the application vetting page. Once added by the Property Manager, an email will be sent for the applicants to complete the full form. To see how to add extra applicants to the application form, click into this article.

Maintenance

Landlord direct repair option added to quotes

Quoted maintenance jobs now have the option to proceed as a Direct Repair – Landlord will repair. This includes all quotes process for jobs that:

  1. Are being created as a quote request
  2. Have been referred to an owner as a quote request, or
  3. Have been retuned by an owner to obtain quotes

You will now find the Direct Repair button at the bottom of all quote job pages to be marked as Landlord will repair, or Landlord’s tradie will repair. When selected, the job status will update to Landlord Responsibility for the owner to proceed with actioning the maintenance request.

 

Landlord direct repair option added to quotes

The OurTenant App and Portal maintenance job creation has been improved for lodging an emergency maintenance request. The large red ‘Emergency’ button has been removed and replaced with a toggle button for the tenant to manually identify the request is an emergency. When selected as an emergency a warning will continue to show to tenants that if the job is deemed to not be an emergency, they may be responsible for the call out fee.

Water parameters added to Client Hub

Water charging information can now be updated directly via the Property Card in the Client Hub. This allows for the water charging parameters to be changed or implemented for tenancies with a current lease in place, without needing to edit the lease agreement. When updated via the Client Hub, a note will be added to the future lease page in OurProperty and the new water charging information is saved to the future lease agreement.

If you have any questions or future feature request, simply respond to this email & we will be in touch.

 

Best regards,

The OurProperty Team