1. Automate property maintenance reporting with AI

Property maintenance is one of the most time-intensive aspects of lettings management, with letting agents spending, on average, 9.2 hours a week just on tenant maintenance requests – and again, that’s valuable time that could be spent on growing your agency and winning new instructions.

Managing property maintenance manually isn’t just frustrating for agents, either. More and more, renters are looking for a 24/7, on demand service, with instant responses to their maintenance requests. Unsurprisingly, traditional, manual methods can fall short of the experience modern consumers expect. 

The result? Disgruntled tenants and strained agency resources. 

Automating this process with a tool like Street AI Maintenance means agents can provide a 24/7, self-serve maintenance reporting service for tenants, delivering faster resolutions and a smoother experience for tenants and landlords alike.

Street AI Maintenance boosts your agency’s efficiency in two key ways:

• AI-powered maintenance triage: Automating the categorisation of maintenance requests ensures that urgent issues like leaks are prioritised and rerouted to appropriate contacts, while routine problems, such as clogged sinks, are addressed with clear self-help guidance for tenants.
• Self-serve tools for tenants: AI technology empowers tenants to troubleshoot and resolve minor issues independently. For example, if a tenant reports a blocked drain, the system provides step-by-step instructions to fix it, reducing the need for agent intervention, and reducing inbound maintenance requests by up to 20%.

Other benefits of automating property maintenance

AI-driven maintenance solutions like Street.co.uk’s don’t just save agents time — they create a better experience for everyone involved. Tenants appreciate quick responses and clear communication, leading to higher satisfaction and renewal rates. For landlords, faster resolutions and reduced costs for routine callouts demonstrate that their properties are being well-managed, for a reasonable price.

By adopting AI-powered maintenance tools, letting agents can reduce stress, save time, and foster stronger relationships with tenants and landlords. 

For a more detailed look at how AI transforms property maintenance, check out our recent guide.

2. Streamline your tenant and landlord communication with mobile apps

Timely, clear communication between your letting agency and the landlords and tenants you work with is essential for building strong relationships – but can be blocked by outdated methods like email or manual follow-ups. 

Fielding email requests for tenancy details, or answering telephone queries from landlords might seem like a quick enough job, but this can easily mount up throughout your week. In fact, recent research suggests communication and relationship management tasks, like speaking to landlords or vendors, take agents an average combined 22.8 hours per week.

What’s more, if you’re a smaller agency with limited resources, you might struggle to respond as quickly as clients might expect, leading to a breakdown in the relationships you’ve worked hard to establish. 

One way to solve this problem is to offer mobile-first solutions, like Street.co.uk’s Tenant and Landlord Apps to your clients.

These apps allow users to access critical services and information anytime, facilitating faster responses and reducing reliance on traditional communication methods like phone calls or emails. For example, landlords can instantly review property updates or maintenance requests, while tenants can easily schedule viewings or report issues through user-friendly interfaces. 

In short, this means less time answering emails, and more time to channel into growing your agency’s portfolio.

Other benefits of mobile-first solutions for letting agents

In one recent study, when asked why they switched letting agents, 38% of landlords cited “dissatisfaction with the time taken to respond to requests”, showing they not only notice when you don’t have time to get back to their email – it can form part of the reason they take their business elsewhere.

Mobile apps like Street.co.uk’s give landlords and tenants seamless access to updates, documentation, and services through their smartphones, meaning they’ll never be left waiting for your response. 

By streamlining processes like approving viewings, submitting maintenance requests, and receiving tenancy or rental income updates, mobile apps make 24/7, instant responses possible.

Landlords and tenants can resolve queries or access property-related information without the need for time-consuming back-and-forth calls or emails. Additionally, personalised notifications and instant alerts keep clients engaged and informed throughout their journey, demonstrating a commitment to proactive service.

By adopting mobile-first technology, letting agencies differentiate themselves in a competitive market, meeting modern expectations for efficiency and transparency and building stronger relationships with clients by ensuring their needs are met swiftly and professionally.

To learn more about the benefits of mobile apps for your letting agency, explore our recent blog here.

3. Simplify tenancy progression and nail your compliance obligations with digital tools

Onboarding tenants is a crucial but often time-consuming task involving document collection, compliance checks, and chasing tenants to sign and return contracts. 

Compliance is a critical area for letting agents, as they must navigate stringent regulations, including right-to-rent checks and data security requirements. 

Digital tools like Street Lettings make this easier, by providing automated reminders when documents are due to expire, and secure, centralised systems for storing sensitive data. What’s more, platforms like Street.co.uk's include built-in failsafes when setting up a tenancy, so agents can ensure they never miss a check – without needing to keep track of this manually.

Street.co.uk’s AI document reader can further streamline this process by allowing agents to scan documents (like safety certificates and invoices) and AI will auto-fill key fields, eliminating double data entry and saving agents time. 

Other benefits of digitising tenant onboarding

In a recent study, tenancy progression tasks were found to be the biggest time-sink for letting agents, taking up at least 10.1 hours of agents’ weeks. 

It makes sense that agents would prioritise this work – as the quicker a tenancy is in place, the faster landlords can begin collecting rental income. However, outdated methods of tenancy progression, like collecting tenancy agreement signatures via email or even in-person meetings, can mean tenancies stall. This is particularly relevant for busy agents dealing with multiple properties (and applicants) at once, who may struggle to keep track of the status of each contract. 

This can make for delays, unhappy tenants, and even unhappier landlords. 

Another reason letting agents should consider digitising their tenant onboarding processes is to make keeping track of compliance obligations quick, easy, and foolproof.

In 2024, the Home Office cracked down on letting agents and drastically increased penalties by over 400% for Right to Rent breaches, and penalties for properties with non-compliant Energy Performance, Gas Safety and Electrical certificates rose to up to £5,000. 

To avoid getting caught out by regulators, having a centralised, digital storage system for documents is key, so agents can easily locate, check, and replace them when they’re due to expire.

Why efficiency is key for letting agents

Making sure your agency has smooth, efficient processes in place benefits almost every area of your business, from tenant retention to financial performance. Quick wins like automating tenant maintenance, communicating via mobile apps, and digitising tenancy progression and compliance tasks can:

• Reduce operational costs: Save time, minimise errors and reduce overheads by automating repetitive tasks.
• Improve tenant satisfaction: Deliver faster, more transparent service to tenants.
• Help you scale operations easily: Handle more properties without increasing workload.

By implementing these strategies and leveraging platforms like Street.co.uk, letting agents can stay competitive while delivering top-tier service.

Want to get started with boosting your letting agency’s efficiency? Let’s talk.