Partner Article

Have vandal tenants met their match?

An estate agent from Stockton has come up with a new system to deal with unruly tenants, after landlords came to him for help.

Ian Davison, of Ultimate Homes, has developed the i-Track system, designed to source tenants in a bit to combat missed payments and vandalism to landlords’ property.

Landlords can log in to get updates about their tenants, get message alerts when changes have occurred to their properties, view electric, gas and water readings as well as payment dates.

Mr. Davison said: “The i-Track system has been designed to save landlords vital time so they are continuously updated of changes to their properties.

“They don’t have to chase information, everything is in one place and this has made them feel more secure.”

Landlord Tracey Hester went to Ultimate Homes after tenants wrecked two of her investment properties in Middlesbrough, causing £60,000 worth of damage.

In one case, the occupants damaged the bathroom, sold a boiler, refused to pay rent for almost a year and then set fire to the house after they were served their notice to leave.

She said: “It was a really tough time. The agent we had just seemed interested in the fee.

“The biggest problem we had was lack of communication from the agent, despite continually calling for updates, things got seriously out of control.”

National statistics revealed 40% of tenants damage property or default on rent, and more than one in three landlords does not screen the tenant for previous rental history, employment or banking references.

Ian Davison said: “It is staggering how many landlords continue to be taken for a ride by tenants by simply not picking the right people to move in and more importantly, managing the property properly.

“The majority of letting agents do a credit check on applicants but we take it one step further as we conduct a full insight credit reference report and check. Tenants must also provide valid identification and previous utility bills.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .