Don’t Let COVID 19 Dictate your Business Development

At LettsPay, we pride ourselves on our relationship with our letting agents. Our product was designed and built with the needs of the agents at the core. In fact, it was through a discussion with an agent, that LettsPay was born, and we continue to respond to advice and feedback in order to develop our system further.   

COVID 19 has had an effect on all of us. Despite government support, many of us have stumbled upon problem after problem within our businesses. For many letting agents, there have been a range of dilemmas.  

With the COVID rules adapting frequently, it can feel like it is hard to keep up. During a meeting with one of our agents, they told us about the troubles they are facing with potential new clients refusing to follow the rules.

Many struggle with social distancing and some even refuse to wear a mask, and when told they can’t view a property, they decide to go elsewhere – meaning the agent and their landlords loose out despite following government guidelines.

Agents have also reported difficulties with staff reductions. For some, affording to pay staff has become a luxury, so they are struggling with a skeleton team - some are even flying solo. This means that they are trying to manage viewings, keep on top of accounts and keep landlords and tenants happy. Due to COVID restrictions, tenants can no longer walk in off the street to have a chat in the office, or look at property profiles. These are all problems which the government can’t currently fix.  

Then there is the section 21 rule.

Although it is important to protect tenants during this time of uncertainty, there is limited protection for the landlord. Many landlords themselves are falling on hard times. If their tenant is refusing, or unable to pay, where do they stand?

These are issues which take up valuable time which the agent can ill-afford to lose.  

Although LettsPay can’t solve global pandemics, we can help make a difficult situation a bit easier. Our promise to our agents is that we will reduce time spent managing accounts, to free up time for the people who matter – tenants and landlords.  Our system manages payments from tenants, calculates fees and pays landlords all in one place. Each landlord has their own client account, making payments to landlords and suppliers quick and easy. Gentle payment reminders are sent out to tenants, to ensure they never miss a rent payment. They even have payment flexibility meaning that if they fall on hard times, a third party can easily step in to help. 

With help from our agents, we have designed a user-friendly system which is easy to learn and even easier to manage.