New research indicates that almost three-quarters of lettings professionals have seen their administrative workload increase due to the Renters' Rights Act. A survey by Propoly found that 73% of property professionals have experienced more administration since the legislation became effective on 1 May.
A quarter of those surveyed described the impact on their business as significant. Compliance and record keeping were identified as the biggest source of extra work by 18% of respondents, followed by rent reviews at 16%, and possessions and tenancy endings at 14%.
The changes are also affecting how agency teams operate, with half of respondents stating that lettings and property management staff now need to work much more closely together. Many agents use multiple disconnected systems, with two-thirds reporting this issue, while another 17% still rely heavily on emails and spreadsheets.
This fragmentation can lead to staff handling the same information multiple times. Some 61% of respondents said employees have to transfer, re-enter, or duplicate information between systems during a tenancy. More than half (52%) believe that better links between their systems would improve efficiency.
Looking ahead, 28% of respondents expect keeping up with compliance requirements to become their biggest operational challenge under the Renters' Rights Act. Another 21% identified maintaining profitability while dealing with the additional work as a key concern.