Automate Rental Showing Schedule

[Vishal Gadhia]

Hello BP'ers

I am looking for suggestions or links to companies who have a website or application that can automate the showings for renters.

What I am primarily looking for is

1. The perspective renters can fill out a pre screen form

2. The perspective renters can schedule the showings appointments based on calendar availability

3. Good to have, auto confirmation emails send from the service so that we can eliminate no shows 3 hours before the showing.

If anyone in this great REI community have come across this kind of tool or service, request you to please share the company's details and your experiences.

I tried looking at buildium, but could not find this feature as listed on their website. If any buildum users have knowledge about this, it would be great help if you can share.

Thanks

[Lucas Hall]

Hi @Vishal Gadhia

That's a really creative idea.  But as a landlord of over 10 years, when I tried to get too technical with appointments, it simply created roadblocks for potential applicants.  Here are the issues that will arise if you try to make a potential applicant do too many things:

1. Pre-screening is great, but they often don't want to give out too much info until they see the property.  A phone call will often reveal more than if you force them to fill out a pre-screening form.  They are nervous about identity theft and want to know you have the goods before giving too much info. 

2. A tool with your calendar availability is a neat idea, and it will certainly work for some, but for those who aren't so tech savvy, or don't trust your calendar, they will just call the landlord down the street.  The more strict you make your contact and scheduling process, the less showings you will have.  Not everyone will fit into a square hole. 

3. I've found that the method that works for me is that when an appt is day/time is agreed upon, I will send out a Google calendar invite - so it will show up in their own schedule, and they will get alerted/reminded about the appointment beforehand.

Any other method just reduced the number of applicants, and limited my options.