In our current climate, it is important for everyone to be environmentally responsible and consider sustainability - letting agents included! As an industry, we have the opportunity to help with around 45% of the UK’s carbon emissions. There are many environmental impacts associated with the traditional letting process that we can minimise - consider how much fuel agents and prospects burn driving to viewings, just for a start…
So let’s streamline the process! Our vision is for all agencies to reduce their carbon footprint and move towards net zero - we like to call it Let Zero.
When we use technology to reduce our carbon footprint, we also enjoy added benefits - improving business efficiency and streamlining processes, allowing staff to focus more time and energy on their customers. We can start building new revenue streams, and spend our time on the parts of the letting process that really matter.
Read on to learn how digital solutions can revolutionise the way you work, reduce environmental impact, and help you run your business in a more sustainable way…
Did you know that pulp and paper are the 3rd largest polluters of the air, water, and soil? Bleaches used during paper production result in toxic material being released into the air - and when paper breaks down, it emits methane. This is 25 times more toxic than CO2.
Traditional letting involves lots of paperwork and, therefore, paper waste which has a highly detrimental effect on the environment. Moving to online document signing and digital record storage can have a huge impact.
Paperwork-heavy processes such as tenant referencing and lease signing are handled digitally using River LPM - the world’s first Letting Process Management platform. It allows letting agents to effortlessly manage every stage of the process from a centralised, easy-to-use dashboard.
The tedious process of filling out documents manually also takes far more administrative time - making it more difficult to share documents with clients and other letting team members. By going digital you’ll free up much more time, allowing you to maximise productivity. In addition, every member of the team has the added benefit of being able to track and respond to all tenant leads in one place, making the letting process as quick and efficient as possible. River LPM saves you hours of wasted time pulling from different platforms while trying to keep track of everything.
Digital paperwork means far less storage. No more boxes (and boxes!) of documents held in physical locations. Often, agents realise they don’t need as much storage space in their offices and can either move to smaller, less expensive premises or use the free space for other things. Conversely, in a world where for many remote working is the new norm, River LPM grants team members easy, cloud-based access to the full letting process, wherever they are in the world.
Organising traditional viewings is time consuming. We have to contact interested parties, book appointments, and travel to and from the properties - all while dealing with inevitable rescheduled appointments, cancellations and no-shows. These can add up to a major waste of time, effort, and money.
Our studies show that it takes around 9 physical viewings to let out one single property - shockingly, it would take nearly 400,000 tree seedlings grown over ten years to offset the damage done to the environment from all the miles driven for physical viewings in the UK in a single year!
We knew there had to be a solution. So we created Riverview! Riverview is fully integrated in the River LPM platform, and enables letting agents to shoot photos and videos of their properties, upload them to River - then sit back while our system creates polished video flythroughs and 360° virtual tours - allowing prospective tenants to immerse themselves fully in a property from the comfort of their own home.
Virtual viewings have the added benefit of allowing more people to access properties - property listings with virtual tours generate 45% more views. We provide the tools so agents can replicate physical viewings in a less costly, less time consuming and more sustainable manner. It is both cost-effective and a major carbon saver, as no money is spent by agents or tenants on fuel driving back and forth to viewings.
Additionally, River LPM reduces the number of wasted physical viewings and the risks associated with them by pre-screening all tenants using MyRentalCV integration. We help ensure all viewers are suitable for the property they’re enquiring for. This cuts down on unnecessary viewings from unsuitable applicants - not to mention the wasted time, money, AND carbon footprint associated with them.
A recent study by SmartestEnergy found that consumers now - more than ever - want to work with or buy from brands that have a positive and proactive approach to environmental sustainability and net-zero. 4 in 5 customers said they were more likely to choose a brand that cares about its environmental impact. These are numbers that letting agents can’t afford to ignore.
Having recycling points in the office, automatic motion sensing lighting, storing your documentation digitally, and minimising - or cutting out - single-use plastics are all small things that add up to big changes. Making changes and improvements as a company will show your commitment to sustainability.
As demand increases for all client-facing businesses to become more sustainable, now is the time to take action! You will attract new customers and retain the ones you already have, by proving that you are taking steps to be more sustainable. In short, River LPM will future-proof your business..
If you’re ready to reduce your environmental impact and work towards Let Zero - while enjoying the added benefits of reducing your costs and time to let - we’re here to help. Let us streamline your workload and maximise your productivity. Join the River Revolution today and help us save the planet, one letting agent at a time!
Let Tech Solutions Ltd is an Appointed Representative of George Stubbs Insurance Services Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
