Vince Demilio, Sales Director of The Lettings Hub

Who are you and what does it say on your business card?

I’m Vince Demilio, Sales Director of The Lettings Hub

What services do you offer and in what ways do you help letting agents?

At the heart of it, we make the pre-tenancy process as simple and as straightforward as possible for agents, tenants and landlords.

We launched our free tenancy progression platform, BOX, to the market in early 2021 and over 1,000 agencies are already using it. It uses automation and 33 integrated solutions to help our clients process tenancy applications faster whilst reducing their admin and growing their revenue.

The platform gives access to our unrivalled tenant referencing solutions, which include traditional and Open Banking references, in-house referencing software and Property Passport^TM. So, it doesn’t matter how a letting agent chooses to reference tenants, our BOX platform will work for them.

Once the referencing stage is complete, BOX makes it simple to add on all the protection a tenant, letting agent or landlord could need to complete a tenancy. It was important for us to be able to offer this in one convenient place, so we’ve worked closely with our insurers to develop quality products including deposit replacement schemes, rent & legal protection, tenants insurance, and landlord property insurance. We also handle all utility management requirements, automating change of occupier notices to local councils and utility suppliers via our platform and carrying out utility and media switching for tenants.

BOX also includes free tenancy contract generation and e-signature technology which saves our clients thousands of pounds and hours of effort not having to use a standalone solution. All the data is already in the platform, all you have to do is tick a few boxes and you have a full AST ready to be signed online at any time.

How we really help lettings agents is by giving them the tools they need in order to claim back their time. BOX does the leg work, the chasing, and the automated progression of tasks.

We like to think of BOX as the most efficient and experienced Lettings Admin Assistant that an agent could ask for; just at a fraction of the cost!

How does tenancy progression/pre-tenancy software help letting agents become more efficient?

Letting agents spend an inordinate amount of time juggling different steps and processes within the lettings journey – most of the time through different platforms and with different providers. They could cut the time to let in half with the right software in place.

Because much of pre-tenancy process is based on the same information, a significant proportion of time can be spent accessing different systems and re-keying the same information into several different platforms; none of which integrate with one another.  Add to that the time an agent will spend updating tenants on the status of their application, either by phone or email, and you can see why this necessary admin becomes a bottleneck in an otherwise well-oiled machine.

Tenancy progression software helps by taking the progression onus away from the agent. The software automates much of the process, stops the need for re-keying data, makes the sale of insurance, media and utilities a seamless part of the journey and, most importantly, keeps the tenants informed of the status of their application without the agent needing to be involved; so the tenants benefit from even better customer service too.

Creating watertight systems and training new staff are often two of the biggest headaches agents face. The beauty of tenancy progression software is that it takes the responsibility of remembering and juggling away from the agent allowing them to focus their time on business development rather than boring admin tasks.

What do you see as the biggest challenge facing estate and letting agents at the moment?

Lack of stock. Agents are expected to do more and more with less and less time… and even less resource! The demand for properties in the private rental sector is now the highest on record, and agents are feeling the pressure on their time more than ever before. It is why The Lettings Hub is committed to finding solutions which simplify and speed up the lettings process, so letting agents have as much time as possible to focus on the proactive parts of agency.

What is the most satisfying part of your job?

I love to help people. Who doesn’t? But when we sit down with a prospective new agent and work out a bespoke plan based on their individual business goals, brand aspirations and pain points, seeing that moment of realisation, the lightbulb moment, that’s a great feeling.

When we then tell them that it’s free to use our BOX platform and there aren’t any subscription costs attached – you just “pay as you go” – they wonder what’s the catch. But there is none! Other companies have offered similar solutions in the past. But they’ve either not been fully integrated, or they’ve been prohibitively expensive to use for some agents. Being able to offer the solution they’ve been waiting for is always a bit of a buzz.

Country house or city apartment?

City Apartment. I prefer the buzz of a city and being in thick of it with easy access to all amenities without driving for miles.

Trendy roof terrace or traditional English garden?

Roof terrace, much easier to manage. I’m a terrible gardener so I think an English garden would soon turn into a jungle under my watch!

What is your favourite room in your home?

My lounge as it’s home to my big TV. I love chilling out and watching footy on the big screen.

Would you rather be a free-moving tenant or settled owner-occupier?

I prefer to be an owner occupier I think, just so I have the freedom to make my home exactly how I want it to be.

Homes under the Hammer or Location, Location, Location?

Location, Location, Location. I enjoy watching the buying process and the compromises that need to be made to find the perfect home.