Proptech
News focusing on new technological solutions which create efficiencies and cost-savings for estate and letting agents and the wider residential property industry.
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‘Airbnb’ for longer-term lettings sets up shop in UK with £31m expansion fund
Read how medium and longer-term alternative lettings platform is to open and office in London after receiving an investment of £31 million.
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Leading industry players launch new proptech development partnership
A group of well-known names within the property industry have joined forces to launch a consultancy that promises sales and lettings agents new and potentially unique ways to monetise and retain their client base. Called The Property Innovation Network, its members include Hatched founder and former eMoov and EasyProperty executive Adam Day, former The Property Franchise Group boss Graham Lock, former Goodlord partnerships director Anthony Band and Chris Khoi, founder of developer Black Crest Group. “We’ve launched the business because we can see that there are still many home-owning and rental issues that need solving in the market,” says Band. “For example, given the looming tenant fees ban no one seems to be focussing on how to better serve the tenant.” The group are keeping the exact details of their ideas under wraps, but say several of them will be insurance-backed. One they will talk about is a chat-bot style concierge service for tenants and home-owners who will use it to manage their properties and lifestyles. Proptech launch It is due to be launched on January 8th and will also help agents develop closer relationships with tenants. Based in London, the Property Innovation Network says it will soon be…
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Proptech rental recognition service first to gain FCA approval
Read how the FCA has given approval to proptech company CreditLadder to both initiate payment from banks on tenants' behalves and offer payment dashboards.
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‘Too few proptech ideas have been road tested with agents before being launched’
Estate agents are becoming bored of proptech companies trying to sell them services which haven’t been road tested within branches before they are launched nationally, a leading industry figures has claimed. Ed Mead, CEO of viewings service Viewber (pictured, below) and a former executive director at London agency Douglas & Gordon, says that 85% of the UK industry is a “longtail of pretty technologically unsavvy people” who have still got to get their heads around the wave of proptech being launched into the market. “I saw a lot of them when I was at D&G, but I hadn’t twigged how annoying it can be,” he says, “For the independents who are approaching retirement, it’s too much of a risk to invest heavily in tech, and they leave it to the big chains.” Ed says like him his business partner and former Marsh & Parsons CEO Peter Rollings has also become concerned about too many clever but non-property people touring around the industry talking about great tech but who “haven’t talked to an agent before developing their ideas”. “There’s a lot of stuff out there which would be lovely to have but at £200 a month for them or whatever they…
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JLL partners with artificial intelligence lab to launch ‘virtual assistant’ for tenants
Read how estate agency JLL has launched an artificial intelligence 'bot' or virtual assistant now being tested out at two managed blocks in the UK.
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Exclusive: AI chatbot that helps estate agents handle portal leads wins £500,000 backing
Read how a leading sales and letting agency in London has invested a significant sum into a new artificial intelligence based chatbot just for agents.
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Record £17 million crowdfunded by UK property start-ups so far this year
Read how UK property companies from a diverse range of sectors have crowdfunded some £17 million this year, almost five times last year's total.
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New surveyor finding platform takes industry out of ‘dark ages’
Newly launched SurveyorsNearMe.com is claiming to be the most innovative and comprehensive comparison platform for residential surveys.
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US blockchain sales platform Propy reveals first transaction in Europe
Californian company says it enables armchair investors to buy and sell property all over the world and is looking for UK 'ambassadors'.
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Fintech firm reveals it values properties based on sewer cocaine level data
Savills-backed Fintech firm Proportunity has said it uses data taken from cocaine level measurements in sewers to help it value homes.
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