I would like to understand why OpenRent does not allow a contact phone number to be displayed on the property advert. We would appreciate having the option to include our phone number, as we believe it would enable quicker and more effective communication with potential tenants. We are fully willing to take responsibility for this.
In many cases, having direct contact is essential — for example, if a tenant is unable to find the building entrance, we need to be able to respond quickly and assist in person. Relying on a third party or delayed email notifications creates unnecessary confusion, especially in large developments with multiple blocks.
We’ve noticed that while initial notifications come via text and email, ongoing communication often stops being sent by text and emails frequently end up in spam folders. This makes it harder to manage viewings and respond to urgent queries. For these reasons, we want to request that our contact number be displayed on our listing on OpenRent, as well as on partner sites such as Zoopla and Rightmove, which we have paid to advertise through your platform.
I don’t think it is a good idea for a landlord to publish their contact details to all and sundry. Once you have done some initial vetting and arranged a viewing there is a way you can exchange contact details. One of the regular contributors to this forum Karl11 has stated how to do in another thread;
you can set up an autoreply with your number in it. That’s the method I use. I ask them to call me to discuss their initial enquiry. If they don’t call, it weeds out those who don’t bother to read comms or follow instructions.
I made the mistake of giving my number to a prospective tenant who initially seemed okay but then I found they had no job and possibly no right to remain in uk… they booked extra viewing slots under another name trying persuade me to rent to them without checks- pestered me for a week before I blocked the number. Never again.
