PRESS RELEASE | OpenBrix
April 2023. It’s old news to say that the rental market is tough at the moment but over at Openbrix HQ they have had their eyes opened to just how bad it actually is for those currently looking for property.
OpenBrix were recently approached by a would-be renter, Lucy from London, who has slammed the market and agents for the “impossible task” of landing a simple one bed apartment!
Lucy had a budget £2,000 per month, is in full-time, long-term employment and a squeaky-clean credit rating. None of this though mattered when the biggest issue she had been facing was that she just “can’t find anything” because the demand was so high!
Her “only” requirements were that the flat is furnished and “a decent commute to work where I don’t have to change five times”. Lucy recently started her graduate job, and her office is in Hoxton. Her budget is £2,000 per month, ideally for a one bed apartment but she would also consider a bedsit and even a house share!
Lucy’s frustration has spilled over to social media where she has commented “If anyone is looking to find a flat in London right now I wouldn’t bother, just choose somewhere else, anywhere else, this sh*t is an impossible task”.
Lucy described one example where she received a notification that a new flat was on the market at 6am. She happened to be awake so contacted the agent immediately only to receive a reply saying that she was enquiry number 50 of the day. By 10am the listing had come down and she was told the property had had more than 100 enquiries.
Research shows the problems Lucy has faced are not one-offs, the market nationwide is under huge pressure and rental properties are often snapped up within a matter of hours, typically after receiving tens, if not hundreds of enquiries!
So, what can be done to help support tenants and ensure they are the top of the pile when it comes to landing their preferred property choice? That’s where OpenBrix, and more specifically their tenant lifecycle app tlyfe come in!
Launched earlier this year tlyfe is packed full of features and benefits to help tenants with their property journey, including support with tenant insurance loans and even the ability to record rental payments and link these back to their credit profiles. However, their latest set of features is a true game changer for tenants and the industry as a whole.
Positioned as their ‘pre-qualification’ offering tenants are now able to make themselves ‘Rent-Ready’, essentially helping them queue jump the other applicants, ensuring they are top of the pile and first choice for their chosen property. The pre-qualification services built into tlyfe include an affordability calculator, Right-to-Rent and ID verification and even pre-qualified references, essentially giving them all the information and verified evidence they need to present to agents, confirming they meet the criteria required and are ‘Rent-Ready’ for their ideal new home!
Lucy signed up to tlyfe and the pre-qualification services on Wednesday and by Friday had not only found a new property but had paid her deposit and had set her move in date for two weeks following.
Like many applicants to property adverts Lucy had been relying on a simple email or an online form to land her a viewing. However, this more than often fell flat. She added that “tlyfe has been awesome” in being able to prove she is a serious contender and literally “ready to go”, even helping agents by doing some of the heavy lifting and manual tasks that would normally fall on their side of the fence when selecting new tenants.
Speaking on behalf of OpenBrix, CEO Adam Pigott, added ‘We are thrilled to have helped Lucy finally land a great property that ticks all her boxes! The sad thing is that she is not alone and the volume of tenants missing out on property is huge! We have always positioned ourselves as the tenants champion and our new pre-qualification services speaks volumes. An industry first that has had significant take-up since launch, finally the future is starting to look a little brighter for tenants across the country’
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