Time to update letting agents for the Twenties - Diane Monaghan

Lettingweb was founded in 2000 and since then the business has evolved from a property portal to, in more recent times, a property-as-a-service platform – not unlike what is described as software-as-a-service (SaaS) in the tech world. More specifically, this week we will launch our new letting process management platform at an event we are holding at the Edinburgh Grand hotel.

We believe the letting process is broken, with many agents still using an archaic system, says Monaghan. Picture: Contributed

The launch event this Wednesday, which is open to property professionals, is being run alongside Social Bite’s World’s Big Sleep Out initiative and our own Lettingweb Foundation – and for every attendee on the night, we are donating a free hot meal to a homeless person in Scotland. So, if you work in property and you’re not signed up, it’s not too late to come along and do your bit for Social Bite. Social Bite is opening its shops in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen on Christmas eve and Christmas day and we want to help the team provide festive dinners to as many homeless people as possible.

Andrew Baillie, partnerships manager from Social Bite, will be our keynote speaker at the Edinburgh Grand and he is set to discuss the World’s Big Sleep Out, which took place across some 50 locations last weekend, the drive to raise £50 million and future plans for the social enterprise hellbent on eradicating homelessness in this country. Being homeless at this time of the year is particularly distressing for Scotland’s homeless people, a message brought home to our team who participated again this year in what was a cold and wet night for all those who slept out in Princes Street Gardens.

Current process is broken

At Lettingweb, our founding purpose is to make the letting process better. However, we also believe that the current letting process is broken, with many agents still using an archaic system. While property management software has come on in leaps and bounds over the last decade, it feels like the lettings side of things has been left behind. A number of property tech products have entered the space but they only really address specific parts of the process, leaving the whole still very disjointed.

We are trying to change that with the letting process management (or LPM) platform we are rolling out this month. Our aim is to create an end-to-end solution for letting agents and tenants alike across the UK, taking them from the enquiry stage all the way through to signing the lease, all in one place and saving time and money therein.

The project, to deliver the new platform, has been in development for a number of months as we seek to streamline the letting process and be, excuse the pun, an agent of change in the industry. Alongside the development, we have bolstered our product and engineering team including with the hire of Darren Auld as our chief technology officer.

In Darren’s own words: “Lettingweb has been at the forefront of the industry for 19 years and with change and disruption happening more rapidly than ever before it’s important that we adapt, stay ahead of the curve and offer a technology platform designed to solve problems for our users and free up time through automation and improved integration.”

From our founder and chief executive Alex Watts right through the business, the development phase was a true team effort. Not to be forgotten are the two Saltire students who added considerably to the collective effort. We cannot say enough about their input and the fresh perspective they brought to the table. The Global Saltire Fellowship programme run by Entrepreneurial Scotland is, as it says on the tin, a truly world-class initiative.

As we look forward to 2020 and a new decade, we are excited about the road ahead and the team we have in place to get us to where we want to be. In the meantime, happy holidays to all our peers, associates and friends!

- Diane Monaghan is director of operations at Lettingweb