RLA : RPI : Easy PC record keeping packages

News from the Residential Property Investor, the bi-monthly magazine for RLA members

other artilces from the April / May 2001 issue

Easy PC record keeping packages - April / May 2001

Leon Hopkins looks at some of the PC packages available for recording and managing residential property letting details.

One of the essentials of renting is to have information to hand: about tenants and former tenants, deposits, rent and rent arrears, state of repair, inspections, and much more.

There are, however, a number of dedicated computer packages around designed specifically to record the type of information landlords need and to manage lettings.

The trouble is that most are aimed at what the producers must consider the more lucrative end of their market, namely property letting agents with needs to manage many properties on behalf of a list of landlord clients. This means that the power of the systems and the degree of detail they are capable of recording are a step above that required by most private landlords. And the price of the systems tends to reflect their degree of sophistication.

CARL

Carl is probably the most sophisticated of the letting management software on offer, and is not the most expensive. It is, though, very much geared to letting agency use, and it is doubtful any individual landlord would want to make use of all that is offered.

Driven by icons which in turn bring up various screen forms, schedules and graphs, the system opens up by offering possible choices ranging from entering property or landlord information, to dealing with housing benefits. The options cover: contractors, landlords, property, payments, tenants, searching, repairs, adverts, rent, analysis, and utilities.

There is great attention to detail with, for example, the option to record whether or not tenants are smokers or non-smokers and advertisement details.

The package, which runs on Windows, can be purchased or rented. Buying costs from £900 for a single user system, £2,200 for a fully supported package including upgrades and training. Rental costs from £149 initial fee plus £40 per month for the first user and £10 more for any additional users.

The system is supported by an impressive website which includes access to both online and downloadable demos.

Contact CARL, telephone 01706 292700. Website www.carlcomms.co.uk.

Key-Data Gold

The Apex Solution Centre says it has worked with the Southern Landlords Association to develop its Key-Data Gold.

As with Mr Property Manager 2001, see below, this is a relatively easy to use recording system. Although Apex says it has some individual landlords as clients, the system is really designed for letting agents and landlords with 30 or more properties.

Once booted up the system provides users with 10 icons, each representing a menu option. The 10 cover: property, tenant, landlord, collect, pay, time, service, contact, accounts, and reports. Each of the main information items provides templates to complete and on-screen schedules listing relevant details of items within the category. The menu hierarchy is not hard to follow and moving around the system is easy.

One feature within the tenant section is a 'match to properties' facility so that suitable available properties can be called up at the press of a button, and a letter produced including details of the property. Another help is the ability to schedule payments, visits, inspections, repairs, and when to write renewal and other letters.

Again, as with Mr Property Manager 2001 the system is stand-alone and the accounting facility reflects this. The company says it will provide everything needed for client accounts.

One area that Key-Data scores is in the help it provides to users. This starts from the beginning with availability of a demo disk (which can be used for 14 days) and of a tutorial which comes with the disk and can be printed off when the system is first loaded.

The company, which also sells a Key-Data Pathways residential sales package, also provides a software support package, although at a price.

Key-Data Gold, which runs on Windows, costs £999 for a single user version, £249 more for a dual user system and an extra £199 for each additional user after that. The system can also be leased at £12.99 per week with an extra £7 per additional workstation. Free support is given for the first three months of use; after that a support package, including access to upgrades, costs £499 per annum and £99 per workstation for multi-user systems.

Contact: The Apex Solution Centre, telephone 01903 522276. Website: www.key-data.co.uk.

Mr Property Manager 2001

This is a fairly heavyweight package from Merseyside company Jupiter IT.

When the system is fired up it presents the user with 12 options: residential, commercial, applicants, tenants, landlords, contacts, suppliers, reports, accounts, letters, diary and contact.

Within the 'residential' option property details can be entered and accessed including insurance and mortgage details, arrears, tenant history, housing benefit, repairs and even a photograph. Such details as whether pets and/or chil dren are allowed and when the gas safety certificate requires renewal are also included.

Reports and schedules can be printed covering all the information stored, and labels and standard letters produced.

Accounting options include payment schedules and the ability to produce a profit and loss per house although more as a management accounting aid than as part of an integrated accounting system covering the whole business.

Having a 'landlords' option reveals the intent of Jupiter to sell to letting agents rather than, or as well as, individual landlords. And the price, at £1,950 also reflects this although there is a leasing option at £70 per month and the company will offer RPI readers who refer to this article a 10 per cent discount on list prices.

Mr Property Manager, which runs on Windows (95, 98, NT and 2000) has clearly been put together with thought to the needs of landlords and agents running a considerable number of tenancies.

Contact: Jupiter IT, telephone 0151 547 1407. Website: www.landlordmanager.com

PMX Property Management Software

This is a system that will run under DOS and, lacking the graphics and the use of icons made by its competitors, has something of a dated feel to it. This, however, is not reflected in the price. Although individual modules can be bought separately for between £100 and £360, the entire system weighs in at £1,200 (single user £400 for second and third users).

The advantage it has is being able to run on less sophisticated equipment and requiring less disk space it requires only 2Mb of program space and 1.5Mb for data per 100 properties and can run on a 386 machine with 4Mb of RAM: something of a dinosaur these days. Of course bigger, quicker machines will do the job more quickly.

The system is menu-driven with users confronted with four options when opening it up: management, letting, repairs and tools.

Again it is set up for use by letting agents but could also be used by landlords.

Contact: Axia Management Services Limited, telephone 01494 775516.

Proman for Windows

This is a sophisticated package which the company says is aimed primarily at letting agents. Its client list extends to over 100 sites.

Having the usual features allowing recording of property, tenant and landlord details, the publishers, PTS, has been designed to be particularly strong when it comes to client accounting. Within this overseas landlords can be dealt with, for example, and there is also a branch accounting facility.

A full Windows package, Proman has usual graphics and includes options such as applicant and property matching.

Demo versions are not available. The price depends on number of users and of properties. A single user, 50 property data base system would cost £1,000.

Contact Proman Technical Services, telephone 01270 882299. Website www.proman.co.uk.

RentBook Plus

Unlike the other systems which tend to be property, landlord and tenant management data bases with accounting added in, RentBook Plus is more akin to an accounting system with a database added in.

It is less sophisticated graphically than some of the other packages and provides for less detailed information. On the other hand it is less expensive £349 plus VAT for a system that can cope with up to 100 lettings. Maintenance costs between £120 plus VAT and £185 plus VAT depending on whether standard or 'gold' cover is requested.

Entry of data and use of the system is not so inviting as the graphically sophisticated offerings such as CARL and Key-Data Gold. However, as might be expected, accounting options are a little more extensive with a nominal ledger and promise of 'full management accounts'.

A demonstration disk is available while the company operates a website giving a reasonably full description of the system.

Contact Ob-serve Business Computing, telephone 08704 442540. Website www.ob-serve.co.uk.

Rentman

It is specifically billed as being for 'property agents' and has been written by 'a computer professional working in a busy lettings office'.

The package comprises a database divided into a number of relevant sections (property, landlords, tenants, and the like) with various management aids, reminders, letter writing facilities and reports.

As with the others it is user friendly to the extent of being icon driven with data entry by means of template electronic forms with various required and optional elements.

A touch added by Rentman is the 'to do' list that appears when first the system opens up, with a reminder sheet covering such items as appointments for the day, tenants about to move, outstanding references, overdue rent to be chased and expiry letters due.

A series of reports can be generated included an 'aged' list of overdue rents, so that the extent of arrears can be easily assessed. A variety of standard letters can be printed off and customised as required, along with labels and envelopes.

A demo can be downloaded or requested on disk.

Cost for a single user is £999, and for up to 12 workstations £1,499. A support contract costs £300 a year. The package will run on Windows 3.1 and above.

Contact Rentman, telephone 07000 782408. Website www.rman.co.uk.

other artilces from the April / May 2001 issue