Making Property Management Fun!

August 25th, 2022

Seriously, what would that even look like?

How often do you find time in your day to deal with problems in your home or general house admin? Whether you’re a tenant, agent, or landlord, why do we find ourselves dismissive of what it takes to achieve a better-managed home?

Even small issues like a slightly leaky shower, a toilet that doesn’t flush well, or perhaps an odd noise from one of the electrical appliances can be detrimental (and potentially more expensive to fix) if left alone for too long – yet we still see them as an annoyance to address. 

- As a tenant, it might not always be clear who you should notify about property issues.
- As an agent, you would need to learn about the issue so you know what to ask about or appoint the correct trade or repair person.
- And as a landlord, you may need to spend time discussing liability and comparing quotes.

Depending on the immediacy of a problem, it can be ‘backburned’ or forgotten about altogether. You might even need to take time off work to follow up, contact the repair team, and be available for on-site visits. The entire process should be more streamlined and intuitive. How about instead, a home app that assembles all your property information, much like a homeowner manual, though digital, so everything you might need to know about your home is always at hand?

The only thing missing now is an incentive and that’s where the ‘gamification’ comes in. A system that rewards users for reporting and addressing problems at the property. That way, the tenant could get better service, the agent would save time on issues and the landlord could avoid preventable costs.

How would it work?

STEP 1: INPUT
The platform would have digital storage spaces for users to upload videos and images of different items/objects in their homes then award you with points for tagging them with updated information, specifications, etc.

STEP2 : RESPONSE
Users would also receive points for using the platform to report emerging problems, respond to others’ notifications, and/or take actionable steps to address property issues.

STEP3 : REDEEM
You could then redeem your points for rewards relevant to you i.e. The landlord could receive a reduction in platform fees, the agent could receive gift vouchers from marketplace providers and/or partner advertisers and the tenant could receive a discount in their next rent payment. The platform could also be used to build a credibility profile for users, similar to how allAgents rank performance, instead, this gamification demonstrates how users are in reporting, responding, and addressing property management issues.

Is it worth your time?

The platform itself would go a long toward simplifying property management and communication between tenants, agents, and landlords. The gamification aspect would encourage collaboration and help us move away from the current adversarial way of managing homes. The credibility of the profiles within is built through the platform would allow you to become more desirable as a tenant, age,nt, and/or landlord; A kind of build your reputation through the Gamification concept.

What do you think? Is gamification a potential solution and have you seen it work in other sectors, the one we can think of off hand is Waze on how this tool helps outsmart traffic. Please share your experiences and get in touch! 

(B034)