In my opinion what you are experiencing are simply demographic evolutions in the UK and don’t have that much to do with OpenRent. There might be some low level correlation between quality of tenants and the OpenRent platform, but not enough for it to be meaningful and significant imo. I have had my properties over a number of years successfully rented through OpenRent, but my most recent experience was a lot more difficult (March-April 2023).
I put it down to demographic changes, partly to Covid and the ensuing uncertainty / economic situation. Plus, there is a lack of stock at the moment, and I feel like people are scatter gunning in their search to find a place to stay. I mainly operate at the lower end of the market (1 beds) in and around London and the SE and clearly over the last 10 years, a lot has changed. This time, I have had people try to negotiate 25% discounts to rent, not show up, cancel 15 mins before the appointment, lie about paying a holding deposit (when trying to play me off against another landlord), a guy fiddling with my shower and toilet facilities without asking for permission, asking for 6 month break clauses and requesting new blinds, new appliances etc. Unfortunately it’s just the way it is now.
Moreover, I have found tenants to have wildly inflated expectations about what their money can afford. People come in with inflated egos and crazy amounts of attitude like they own property on King’s Road …yet they are rocking up to view a 1 bed flat! I had a relocation agent come with someone that was being relocated from NY working in the City waltz in like they own the building, with notepad and pen in-hand like a Geography field trip. They were gone in 5 mins and barely said a word.
So in short, it sucks but that’s where we are with the demographic situation atm. There’s always been a dismissive attitude from tenants to landlords, but it’s hit new levels recently. (I have been doing this for 10 years now, and it’s never been this bad)
I agree, but openrent needs to change with the landscape. The fluff enquiries are far too many, the screening process needs improving. Openrent have said they have some new changes ready to go live any minute which should help. I’ve just had 90 plus enquiries on one property, around 85 incomprehensible!
Yes, I do agree with Mark55 with this statement “why not have tenants who would have to pay to use your service with some kind of paid subscription service? I know straight away this would eliminate so many issues for landlords, as anyone who has to pay for something will always think twice before parting with their cash, it’s a basic human instinct.”
This is very true and it will be a very good strategy of eliminating the unserious tenants or time wasters. People do not value anything they have not invested in but any serious tenant would not mind paying to get what they wanted.
So pleased it is just not me who is finding this site a chore. What I feel is a great downside of this type of DIY is that you cannot pick up a phone and ASK questions. I have requested answers to quite a few points for my last two adverts I put up and the answers I was given were virtually to say check out our help guide. This is pointless As you say the amount of dross that comes through is ridiculous and time consuming because if you don’t answer them Open Rent come at you to say 'you haven’t responded to this enquiry NO I don’t wish to, thank you very much. Back and forth with questions and answers and to be honest I have a lot of properties to look after and I don’t have the time to deal with screening. I like the idea of seeing the whites of their eyes but this recent venture has not gone well. It’s back to Your Move for me and they have now struck a deal with me so much cheaper than previously and I don’t have the headache.
It really isn’t difficult to select one option from the drop-down box to reject an enquiry. One of the options is something like “I am going forward with another tenant” which is a very handy catch all reply. In literally 1 minute you can reject 20 people so its not really a burden. All those people who don’t answer screening questions can simply be binned, and you can also click on the star next to those high priority replies and they will always appear at the top of the list with all the “dross” left below. Just spend a minute to clean up your enquiries list and use the star!
I can’t see any live adverts on your account - so you won’t have seen it yet.
Firstly, we’re fixing up some of the enquiry handling that was causing frustration (eg. making it simple to see which enquiries haven’t been responded to / improving our emails / communication). Hopefully that just makes the existing product better / easier to use without the frustration, whilst still ensuring landlords reply to / reject tenants so enquiries don’t get missed or ignored.
Secondly, and some landlords may have noticed this already (we’re rolling it out cautiously at the moment), landlords will start to see applications from tenants who have been pre-checked. This will give landlords more information about a tenant (Credit File Located / CCJs / Adverse Credit / Income / ability to provide a guarantor / etc) alongside their enquiry. The aims in this context are to:
a) Speed up application handling: You’ll have verified information up-front to make a decision on the tenant much more readily. The tenants verified status only lasts 60 days ensuring information is accurate and up-to-date.
b) Speed up tenancy creation / referencing: We’ll have their detailed information already on file, meaning we can obtain and process a comprehensive reference report even more quickly.
Not every tenant will go through this extra hurdle, but clearly those who do will stand out, and we think it will offer a better experience for both tenants and landlords where it is used.
We’re excited for this to roll-out fully and for feedback from Landlords when you get your first “Verified Tenant” application.
Its a simple choice. You either self manage & invest the time to find your own tenant, or you let an agent do it for you. Openrent cannot control the quality of applicants, that’s for you or your agent to pick the best ones.
Ive been very pleased with Openrent process so far. Yes get some time wasters, but this is a business. Most businesses have to put up with some of those.
I agree with what others have said. If someone just leaves a curt voice message, either just ignore it, or preferably reply with, something like ‘sorry, you have been unsuccessful on this occasion’ or use one of the dropdown boxes. Have your own set of questions and offer anyone who answers them with acceptable answers and in full a viewing. Have one or two days for viewings and give fifteen minute slots. Ask any other questions/ see any documents that you wish to at that time. I always ask people to bring ID to the viewings, then you have already seen it and don’t have to go through with referencing someone only to find they don’t have right to rent.
After the viewings you should have a pretty good idea of who you want. I would then reference your favourites, if they pass then great; if not, then you would reference the next favourite. Someone out of your top three is probably suitable.
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I have found my last two tenants this way. I only have one flat. Both have been successful tenancies. One left to buy her own property and the ones after her are still there after three years.
To be honest, I’m finding that it works both ways and a lot of landlords don’t reply either.
I’ve been trying to relocate due to a work transfer which is 4.5 hours drive from me. Trying to get online video viewings is a nightmare! Most landlords leave me on “read” (blue tick) I mean, I’m happy with an answer but to just ignore drives me crazy! Anyway, if there are any landlords renting in Yorkshire please let me know!
I’m not impressed with the service so far. Run 2 sets of references through Open rent I don’t feel they are of any use. One applied using a bank account not even in their name but passed the check. I feel the references are produced by a bot, there is no one to discuss it with and tenants get there holding deposit back not even beilg charged for wasting my time and exaggerating there income.
Most of the enquiries are from people that do not fit my criteria and I get the impression that applicants think that because they don’t go through high street agents they don’t have to provide the necessary paperwork. I was actually told this by someone who came to view.
I’m now considering using a proper agent at least you have someone to converse with and they can vet the applicants for you.
Tenant vetting is part of it. With effective automatic screening questions you can remove most of the chaff quickly.
I must admit I have never been impressed with OR referencing but they have switched suppliers since I stopped using them.
The best referencing is that which you do yourself. With credit check firms I am only interested in CCJ part of the service as I dont trust the rest (which I do myself including employers.)
There are so many time wasters that either don’t fit the initial criteria, or then apply and don’t respond to the initial automatic questions sent.
I’ve had a property up since the weekend, and had 70 applicants already, over half haven’t responded with information requested, then most who have, clearly don’t fit the initial criteria, and majority, which I’ve never had to this extent before have only been in the country for a matter of weeks or months, which makes reference checks completely impossible or useless! I’ve had quite a few saying they’re bringing their family over in a few weeks to live with them also.
Now I’ve had the messages and emails from Openrent acting as if I’ve done something wrong with my advert, etc, and that I’m in the 0.1% so won’t even reconsider freezing my advert at 100, which happened a a couple of years ago also.
If it’s the case, that a landlord cannot hold out to find a suitable tenant, and all the time wasters and non responders are given free reign to do as they wish, then this product is no longer fit for use or worth the money paid.
I am both a landlord and a tenant, Openrent from my perspective has been good, yes there is a lot of dross in the applications but being advertised on right move and zoopla ensures you have a good overall selection, as someone mentioned before I picked a day to do viewings all day including some virtual viewings, around 50% turnout but if you are really wanting that house then you will make the viewing come hell or high water.
Letting agents from a tenants perspective is dire, I have rented 2 properties in past 2 years through Openrent mainly because I could not get through the door with agents, I have top credit scrores, provable income and excellent references but unless you know someone the chances are slim with the sheer volume of enquiries, over a period of 6 months I would reckon I got around a 10% response rate from agents. Openrent has its faults but at the end of the day you are in full control of your own property and can make your own decisions, Openrents referencing just saved me from a potential costly mistake a week ago.
Would you say that TT mainly go to the agents, instead of doing it themselves? Also, how fast is OR referencing, from your experience? I saw some threads which complain about it dragging on.
I felt I needed to just make a comment due to being a potential tenant, who is seeking a property.
Unfortunately any potential tenant, regardless of whether or not they receive DSS or working has the potential to be disruptive and cost you a lot of time, effort, energy and money. There really are no guarantees as it ultimately comes down to an individuals character, which is why I communicate with honesty.
The fact that people do not share the same character traits will always cause problems for landlords.
Hopefully you have a better experience going forward. You are always going to be vulnerable to your tenant’s personal character, regardless. But not all of us seeking somewhere to live are unreliable.
I have recently advertised on here for SE London 1 bedroom flat. Got 56 reply in 2.5 days, stopped the add then. About 10 days later we had a viewing of 4 people two of which wanted it (the fifths person did not come but cancelled in the morning). It was easier this time compared to 3 years ago just before the first lockdown. Thankfully. It is still a a time-consuming task and hence exhausting to find a suitable tenant. But I do value to pick a Tenant myself I want to “know” them before they move in.
This time I telephoned with each potential canditdate before I invited for the viewings and asked lots of questions. I would only take somebody who is happy to speak on the phone, the relationship goes both ways it’s good if they know one as well.
3 Years ago when it was hard to find a Tenant. I let one agent bring two Brothers along (as well as 2 people I had picked) for a viewing. My Father in law was there to do the viewing and he said the two brothers from the estate Agent where just the worst out of the lot. The other two didn’t want it so we kept on searching. I have a prejudice about Estate Agent that they will take the first candidate to pass the credit test to have an easier life.
The previous Tenant we managed via here and she has been good and reliable.
One urged feedback to Openrent would be- You are not international friendly. But lots of LL and Tenants are coming or living abroad. I would look into that as you are missing out on business that way!
One example being only UK mobile phones allowed, this has really troubled my friend whose number I had to register with as no UK Number any longer. She got all the notification on her mobile about every single reply etc. The same thing was reported to me from two potential tenants who wanted to move back into the Uk.