How does OpenRent work, and is it a viable alternative to high-street letting agents like Savills and Knight Frank?

For decades, the status quo in the rental market involved using a high-street letting agent. Whether you were a landlord or renter, you were required to go through an agency with a physical store, paying a commission if you were a landlord and tenant fees if you were a renter.

The only alternatives were marketplaces like Gumtree and Craigslist. However, these weren’t viable competitors due to the high number of scams found on the sites. Essentially, landlords and renters had few options available.

How does OpenRent advertise?

Created by two Oxford graduates, Darius Bradbury and Adam Hyslop, OpenRent came to life after both found roadblocks in the renting process as private landlords and tenants. So they put their heads together to find a better way. The result was OpenRent, a letting agent based entirely online.

OpenRent has a digital presence that includes a website as well as social media channels on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. It has also featured in industry press and uses digital advertising to promote the brand to landlords and tenants.

The website has several resources for landlords and tenants. These include a Help Centre and blog page, where you can find informational content about OpenRent and the broader letting and renting process.

OpenRent customer service

If you’re thinking about using OpenRent – whether you’re a landlord or a tenant – you probably want to know about OpenRent’s customer service. As an online letting agent, there aren’t any physical agents to help you with the property renting process.

OpenRent relies on providing resources to landlords and tenants

Such as the previously mentioned help centres and blog posts. The lack of human interaction is one area where OpenRent definitely falls short. Why? 

• There are still likely to be times where they need help from a real-life team member.
• Upon visiting Open Rent’s website, it’s not clear how to get in touch with employees.
• There is no “contact us” section – Open Rent tries to guide you towards being a self-sufficient user of the site. 

For assisting its clientele  Open Rent does have a “Need Help” button, which brings up a further list of options. Within this list at the bottom, there is a “Send a Message” button that eventually offers help from a real-life person.

A better way to find a home to rent

“Finding a home to rent isn’t a pleasant experience,” said Open Rent co-founder, Daz Bradbury. “There are so many hurdles and so many pain points. And the experience isn’t much better for private landlords.” Much of the pain comes from letting agent middlemen, who slow down communication and charge admin fees.

The OpenRent team wanted to connect tenants and landlords directly. And, by focusing on volume over high service margins, it can vastly reduce the hassle and cost for both parties.

We only charge you for Rent Now at the end of the process when we transfer you the rent. 

So you will still be able to use this service even if you don’t purchase Rent Now when you initially publish your listing. Just ask your tenant to press the green “Rent Now” on your advert!

However, the best time to purchase Rent Now, in terms of value for money, is when you publish your listing as part of the Rent Now + Ultimate Advertising package.

When you purchase Rent Now this way we will put a Rent Now credit on your account for you to use to set up your tenancy. 

All of these services are ordered and managed online, at a fraction of the cost of a high street agent!

Since launching in May 2012, we have secured well over 800,000 tenancies and helped over 200,000 landlords. In fact, we now let by far the most properties of any letting agency in the UK. We’re also a member of the Property Ombudsman for Lettings, so you know you’re in safe hands!

OpenRent – landlord reviews

Landlords are Open Rent’s primary target audience, as it relies on them to pay for the services and extras offered. Therefore, positive landlord reviews are especially important for OpenRent.

Ultimately, Open Rent is well received by the landlords who use its service to let their property. Some commented on – its lower pricing as a bonus – citing the cheaper entry prices as the reason why they could be more flexible when it came to their own asking rents.

OpenRent – cities where they’re active

OpenRent operates all over the UK, including cities like London, Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle and Glasgow. It’s a nationwide online letting agent and therefore services every part of the United Kingdom.

That means it isn’t just limited to cities, with towns and villages in rural locations also areas where landlords can advertise their property with OpenRent. Overall, Open Rent claims to have more than 500,000 properties listed on the website, with many of them concentrated in larger cities.

OpenRent Services

• Tenant Referencing
• Rent Guarantee Insurance (RGI)
• Inventories
• Gas Safety Certificates
• Energy Performance Certificates

Is OpenRent safe?

Many people (landlords, in particular) have previously been cautious of OpenRent’s service. Part of that is because letting agents haven’t always enjoyed a strong reputation over the years.

This has left many people suspicious of anything that’s new or different.Too often there is small print involved that can increase costs considerably. Fortunately, with OpenRent and other online platforms, there’s nothing to concern yourself with from a safety and financial point of view.

The site isn’t a scam, and all of the pricing is clear to see throughout Open Rent’s website. It’s also safe for landlords and tenants to use, and there’s no need to worry about anything dodgy going on in the background

FAQs:

1. What is OpenRent?
OpenRent is an online rental platform that allows tenants to find rental properties listed by private landlords. It provides tools to manage viewings, applications, referencing, and even tenancy agreements.
2. How do I search for a rental property on OpenRent?
To search for properties:

Browse the listings and contact landlords directly through Open Rent.

Visit the OpenRent website or app.

Enter your preferred location, budget, and other property details like the number of bedrooms.