Social networking reaches property rental sector
A Manchester city centre based property lettings business has developed a revolutionary approach to property rental. Yourshack is set to re-invent the way tenants and landlords engage with their letting agent.
It has developed a package of innovative services for tenants and enhanced routes to market that it claims will enable landlords to differentiate their property in the market place, affording them the potential to: fill their properties quickly; reduce the likelihood of price bargaining and benefit from extended rental periods.
Its new business model is founded on extensive research into the way people search for property, their dealings with letting agents and the demographic and motivations of people in their 20s and 30s living within the city centre.
There are three key aspects to the model, focused on improving the tenant proposition: making the process of renting easy; facilitating flat-sharing as an attractive option to live in the city centre at a lower price point; and organising networking and socialising activities so that tenants can immediately make the most out of life in Manchester.
The gap in the market was recognized by founding Directors Mark Taylor and Mark Pickles. They refined the model during the placing of over 1000 tenants in properties in South Manchester, including trialling the social events and networking concepts. The founders began working together in the mid-nineties and today have business interests across the residential property sector including Property Investment, Development, Lettings, and Technical Consultancy.
ARLA registered Yourshack is the culmination of 18-months of preparation by the team and partners in all aspects of lettings, property management, event management and marketing.
Taylor said: “We really are making a difference to people’s lives, making it easy for them to find the right property and helping them make friends and get the most out of living in Manchester. Each week we interact with many people moving to or within the city and so are uniquely positioned to facilitate networking and social activities. These interactions and our strong social media presence, with an active and engaged Facebook following, feed our rapidly growing database of potential tenants in the city - a strong plus for any landlord.
"We’ve improved the basics too by taking much of the hassle out of renting for both tenants and landlords, for example with the extensive functionality of our website yourshack.co.uk. Also, we don’t just talk about a quality service but have proven over time that we deliver consistently; I’m constantly applying the tools and disciplines from my professional career to achieve continual process improvement.
“We’ve got a unique proposition that will appeal to landlords. To prove it we’re offering to the first 50 who let their flat with us six months free management service so they can experience our service themselves.”
Taylor has invested £150,000 getting the business to launch stage and will be supporting it further with a marketing campaign and a series of social events around the city. This includes a launch party on Saturday May 8 from 2.30pm at Dukes 92, including a trip on the Bohemia barge. It is open to landlords and city dwellers but RSVP is essential via charlene@yourshack.co.uk.
