TR-HNR-February-March-2019

TECHNOLOGY & DISRUPTION

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

TURBOTENANT TurboTenant enables landlords and property managers to quickly adver- tise rental properties on dozens of listing websites. With just one listing, TurboTenant will send your property out to rental sites like Rent.com, Apartments.com and others. Landlords that use TurboTenant average 22 leads per property, the company said. BUILDIUM More than 12,000 property man- agement companies currently use Boston-based Builium’s mobile- and web-based platform. Offering accounting, payments, marketing and communication tools for landlords and property managers, Buildium also offers a variety of re- sources for clients aimed at improv- ing their competency of real estate. Such educational tools include news, informative video tutorials, guides, and a cost-saving calculator. APPFOLIO PROPERTYMANAGER Appfolio offers a Software as a Service (SaaS) for property manag- ers who want an automated system to manage their portfolio. The tool enables apartment, residential, com- mercial, student housing and commu- nity association property managers to administer their business. The mobile and web-based platform allows managers to handle account- ing, payments, rental applications, communication with tenants, market- ing, maintenance requests and more. Pricing varies according to how many units and the types of units you want to be managed on the platform. •

THE EVOLUTION OF RENTAL PROPERTY SOFTWARE PLATFORMS

Kwikset's Kevo Convert can transform existing deadbolts into smart locks. Installed on the inside of a door, the Convert connects with Bluetooth on your smartphone to lock or unlock the door. Another option is the August Home Smart Lock Kit. This nifty kit con- verts mortise-style locks into smart locks that renters and managers can control from their smartphone. enables owners to customize communications while being able to merge the resident data directly from the database lease information. Simply add attachments and reports and it will be saved directly in the history and notes attached to each rental property. Rent Manager also has VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and phone broadcast features, along with text messaging functionality. The technology platforms in the market that support rental property management are all quite competitive with each other. They’ve kept up with the trends in rent collection, marketing, document management, and now, most recently, communication. Take a look at how each of the leading platforms are ramping up efficient communication and transforming the value they add for a property manager. RENT MANAGER’S LETTER TEMPLATE MANAGER The template manager

Using these tools property managers can now directly text tenants through the platform. PROPERTYWARE’S NEW DASHBOARD The new dashboard from Propertyware enables dynamic, mobile-responsive features that are tied into customer feedback. This simplifies processes, reduces training and allows the managers to complete work faster. Service requests for tenants and the maintenance team have never been easier in Buildium. Residents and maintenance vendors take advantage of the portal to share images and issues in real time. Vendors are able to upload their invoices with pictures before and after resolution. Buildium even offers the ability to schedule repetitive tasks such as filter changes or lawn mowing to help property managers stay on top of regular maintenance. renting process and their interac- tions with tenants. From collecting rent online and screening tenants to market listings and tracking maintenance requests, the company’s mission is to make renting simple, secure and intuitive for landlords and renters. Perhaps most remarkable about the platform is its cost: free. Instead of a monthly or annual fee, Cozy generates revenue through back- ground checks, credit reports, credit card processing fees, its rental insurance and additional premium services for landlords. BUILDIUM’S SERVICE REQUEST FUNCTIONALITY

The Next Generation of Renters are Knocking at Your Door –AreYou Prepared? ATTRACTING TODAY’S TECH-SAVVY TENANTS REQUIRES NEW, INNOVATIVE TOOLS.

by Megan Booe

A

s a new generation enters adulthood and dives into renting

can afford your operation. From platforms to manage tenant interactions to sites that will auto- matically market your properties weeks before leases expire, a variety of new tools will not only make life easier, but they’ll make your proper- ties and processes more attractive to prospective renters. For the sake of this article, and offering you insight into some of the types of tech tools we recommend at My Landlord Helper, a property management services provider with over a decade years of experience,

let’s run over some of the specific platforms and tools at the disposal of real estate investors.

their first homes, one question should be percolating for landlords and prop- erty managers across the U.S. "Am I ready?" Generation Z — the generation following millenials that were born between the mid-1990s to mid-2000s — are not only tech-savvy but carry expectations of businesses to be similarly sophisticated. If you’re a real estate investor today, you’ve no doubt heard of the plethora of benefits that technology

SMART LOCKS Roughly 86 percent of millennials are willing to pay more for a smart apartment — defined as including automated or remotely controlled devices, such as a smart lock or ther- mostat — according to a survey con- ducted by lock manufacturer Schlage and Wakefield Research. There are a lot of options for smart locks too.

Megan Booe is the Director of Client Relationships at My Landlord Helper, a branch of property management services provider Secure Pay One. Learn more at

COZY.CO Cozy is an online service for landlords that want to digitize the

MyLandlordHelper.com or contact her at info@mylandlordhelper.com.

26 | think realty housing news report :: february / march 2019

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