What Technology Is Making Life Easier for Landlords?

The rapid growth of home technology is making it easier for landlords to look after their properties while attracting new tenants. What are some of the most interesting advances that can be used in buy-to-let properties that you should be aware of?

Smart Home Devices for Security and Convenience

While smart home devices like locks, lights and thermostats might seem like an unnecessary expense for a rental property, these are all different ways of making the property more attractive and safer for your tenants. They don’t cost a lot of money to add and are generally easy to install and set up. 

For landlords, smart locks give remote access and also allow them to stop former tenants from accessing the property. There’s no need for key handovers, and no one is going to get locked out due to a lost key. Smart lighting helps to keep the house secure during periods where it's unoccupied, and is also likely to appeal to potential tenants looking for an easy life.

Property Management Software to Automate Recurring Processes

This type of digital platform allows landlords to improve or even automate many of their recurring tasks. Apps like AppFolio, DoorLoop and Buildium are designed to make it easier to collect rent, gather financial reports and communicate with your tenants. 

Of course, there are still tasks that need to be carried out manually and that can be time-consuming, like selling the property when the time comes. This can often be a lengthy and hands on process. However, if I was a landlord looking to sell my flat fast, it may be appealing to use a property buying service to avoid time spent marketing it and meeting viewers. These companies provide a quick cash price based on a professional survey and removes potential problems like a property chain falling apart or a buyer letting you down at the last minute. 

3D Virtual Tours to Save Time

Showing the property to potential tenants, or even prospective buyers if you do decide to sell traditionally, is one of the most time-consuming aspects of property rental. You'll often need to show it to numerous viewers before someone decides that it’s right for them. Virtual online tours let you organise this aspect more easily and save time. This study of 75,000 property sales by Harvard Business School found that virtual tours didn’t help make sales go through faster, although other research suggests that this approach is helpful in the rental market.

Some of the most user-friendly platforms for arranging this include Kuula, Lapentor and Matterport. You normally just need to upload photos or videos and the platform does the rest on your behalf. Other landlords use YouTube or social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook to let anyone interested in viewing the property take a look around at their own convenience. 

All of these types of technology are potentially useful for landlords in different situations. Take a moment to consider which could be most useful to you now or in the future. After that, it’s worth keeping an eye on the technology market to see what other innovations could apply perfectly to rental properties.