Property Inspect aims to assist letting agents, landlords and tenants with damage and deposit disputes by completely changing the inspection process.
Recognising the critical need to streamline this process and set the standard for efficient and professional inspections in the local market, South African start-up Property Sprout embarked on a journey of research and after testing a wide range of inspection software products from around the world, Property Inspect was the answer.With ingoing and outgoing inspections being a legal requirement for every property rental, property inspections have become a large part of every letting agent or landlord’s duties, often demanding hours of tedious work, admin and coordination.
Recognising the critical need to streamline this process and set the standard for efficient and professional inspections in the local market, South African start-up Property Sprout embarked on a journey of research and after testing a wide range of inspection software products from around the world, Property Inspect was the answer.
As it is a complete, end-to-end inspections software solution developed keeping in mind the real needs of property managers, letting agents and inspection clerks.
Vivien Marks, ex-Rental Tribunal practitioner and co-owner of the Assessment Centre for Real Estate Agents, says since its development eight years ago, the software has been put to the test in the UK and US inspection markets, and it evolved into one of the most innovative, yet user-friendly products on the market.
Known as InventoryBase in the UK, Marks says the full-service software and mobile app not only makes creating all inspection reports extremely quick and simple, but also offers a highly effective management system that allows real-time diary scheduling and monitoring of all inspection activities from one centralised dashboard.
The integrated solution comes at an opportune time for the fast-growing South African property sector, protecting letting agents, landlords and tenants from the damage disasters and deposit disputes that they currently face on a daily basis.
“The refund of a tenant’s deposit is the most strongly contested aspect of residential rentals, with most tenants believing that any damages claimed fall under fair wear and tear, and most landlords insisting on retaining as much as possible,” says Marks.
“Professionally conducted inspections are essential to provide genuine proof of damages, which should avoid possible costly and unpleasant legal situations.”
Property law specialist, Ilse Pretorius, says ’viewing’ a dwelling is not the same as inspecting it for the purposes set out in the Rental Housing Amendment Act - that is, inspecting it for possible defects.
“The inspection is therefore not just a visit to ‘show’ the dwelling to the tenant. A formal ‘joint inspection,’ with both the landlord and tenant present must be done before the tenant moves into the dwelling, and again towards the expiry of the lease,” says Pretorius.
“These are peremptory provisions in the Act.”
With Property Inspect’s tailored inspection templates, checklists and billing paper trail, the days of arguing over burnt carpets and damaged appliances are over.
The development team continues to monitor the needs of property professionals all over the world, and expands the product’s functionality to keep pace with these growing needs.
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