Industry news 1,460 days young


As Resident®, the revolutionary property management software business, celebrates its 4th anniversary, founder and chartered surveyor Kate Boyes reflects on the journey so far


an idea. A nagging ambition to create my own property technology software that had the potential to transform an


I


industry. Since then, thanks to an amazingly talented and determined team, we have 100,000 registered users across the UK & Ireland. 100,000! Including property managers, developers, landlords and leaseholders. The idea for Resident® came from recognising a


need for an affordable, scalable and importantly compliant solution that grows as a property portfolio grows. Kate explains, “As a chartered surveyor I


understand and have a passion for property. My father and brother are both surveyors so I guess it’s in my blood. And I genuinely believe that managing a property, someone’s home, is a privilege and something to take great pride in. But I was so frustrated by the cost and lack of functions of available property management software. I think my family thought I’d had one too many glasses of wine when I told them I was going to create a prop-tech start-up to create what I wanted myself! “To say it’s been a steep learning curve is a


massive understatement, but I have a fantastic team of developers that work with me to ensure our functionality outperforms other software on the market.” Since 2014, Kate and the team have not only built


the Resident® software from scratch, they have also rebuilt it entirely. In 2016 they completely rewrote the code architecture to ensure the system was future proof and scalable. In the past year alone, Resident has enhanced every single feature, responding to client requests and Kate’s own ambitious vision for a product that all of the team care deeply about. Resident® is designed to be as simple, secure and


user friendly as possible. “We have used the same cutting-edge technology


Google and Microsoft use, to create a cloud-based system that is mobile friendly so it runs on any device or platform. Not only that, but Resident® clients get their own dedicated database, unlike other cloud-based software where one database stores all client data. This gives our clients complete flexibility to manage additional backups if they wish to”. Resident® enables landlords and leaseholders to


log in and view financial budgets and accounts, ongoing maintenance tasks and health and safety


t’s incredible to think that just 4 years ago Resident® was merely


and insurance documents. And for block managers, it also combines the role of company secretary alongside the normal management functions. It can generate share certificates as well as link to Companies House to store all shareholder information and help generate confirmation statements. Resident® has its own accounts package to record


income and expenditure and generates reports when required. An analysed cashbook is included for bank transactions and splitting between various expenses headings, with individual accounts maintained for each leaseholder. Reactive maintenance is logged under the repairs


section with a ‘Little Black Book’ of recommended contractors allocated under each expected type of repair and maintenance for users to contact. A comprehensive checklist includes a reminder


for insurance valuations and Resident® can recommend appropriate surveyors to provide this service. The resource centre provides help sheets on why and how often these are needed. It also contains a section for new developments including a comprehensive checklist for residents to use for a smooth transition in management from developer to residents. Other features include diaries and reminders for follow up for all key dates such as AGMs, servicing, health and safety risk assessments and insurance renewals and email alerts for new legislation and news.


“It’s been a fantastic journey so far and I can’t wait to see


what this year brings” Founder of Resident®, Kate Boyes


Resident® is fully customisable, whether it’s the


site layout and personal branding, arrears process, administration templates or security settings. In short, it does what its users want it to. And of course, as a committed prop-tech evangelist, Kate is always looking for ways to enhance the system. “We have recently added automated bank feeds to synchronise bank account transactions and we’re currently trialling the integration of a brand new property inspection app. The most exciting thing about technology is that development doesn’t stop. You can keep on improving. It’s been a fantastic journey so far and I can’t wait to see what this year brings”.


For more information contact Kate Boyes at kate@resident.uk.com


www.housingmmonline.co.uk | HMM March 2018 | 25


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