Viewing confirmations, referencing chases, landlord updates, tenancy renewals — Cambridge estate agents spend huge amounts of time on communications that follow an identical pattern every time.
Cambridge is one of the most active rental markets in the country. High turnover, competitive landlords, time-sensitive lettings. The volume of communications around each tenancy — from first viewing to move-out — is significant, and most of it is handled manually.
Viewing confirmations, referencing requests, credit check chasing, move-in instructions, inventory sign-offs, rent reminders, periodic inspections, renewal letters, deposit returns. Every tenancy generates the same chain of tasks. Multiply that across fifty or a hundred active properties and it becomes a meaningful operational burden.
The problem isn't that agencies don't have systems — it's that their systems require people to operate them. The comms still get drafted, sent, and logged manually. The chasing still happens by hand.
Viewing coordination. Enquiry comes in → viewing slot offered automatically based on calendar availability → confirmation sent → reminder 24 hours before → follow-up after the viewing asking for feedback or next steps. No manual coordination per enquiry.
Referencing and compliance chasing. Reference request sent → automatic reminders at set intervals if the applicant hasn't responded → landlord notified when referencing is complete → next steps triggered automatically. Referencing delays are one of the biggest bottlenecks in lettings — most of them are caused by inconsistent chasing.
Landlord reporting. Monthly automated statements, inspection reports, and maintenance updates compiled and sent to landlords on schedule. No one has to remember to send them.
Tenancy renewal pipelines. Renewal window approaching → automated letter to tenant → if no response, follow-up sequence → if renewed, new AST triggered → if vacating, remarketing process begins. This alone can recover a significant amount of revenue lost to avoidable voids.
Maintenance coordination. Tenant reports issue → contractor notified → landlord updated → job logged → completion confirmed. The paper trail exists automatically.
Document generation. Move-in packs, ASTs, Section 21s, deposit prescribed information — templated and generated automatically from the property and tenancy data you already hold.
A lettings team at this size is usually spending 10 to 15 hours a week on referencing chases — emails, calls, manual CRM updates when documents come back. The process is consistent every time: reference request goes out, applicant doesn't respond, negotiator follows up manually a few days later, repeats until done. When we map this, the same gaps appear: the initial request goes out fine, the follow-up depends on whether the negotiator remembers, the CRM update happens when someone has a moment. None of that needs a person — it needs a sequence that runs on a timer. Reference request sent automatically on tenancy approval, follow-up every 48 hours if nothing returned, overdue flag raised after 5 days, CRM updated when documents arrive. Referencing turnaround typically drops 30 to 40 percent when chasing becomes consistent rather than occasional. The negotiators get those hours back for viewings and valuations.
Lettings generates more repetitive admin than sales — the volume is higher and the cycle is shorter — but the sales process has its own pain points worth addressing.
New instruction onboarding. Property listed → photos scheduled → Rightmove/Zoopla listing drafted → vendor confirmation sent → portal upload triggered. The coordination between valuation and live listing involves a lot of back-and-forth that can be templated and partly automated.
Viewing management. The same viewing coordination logic that applies in lettings applies in sales — confirmation, reminder, follow-up for feedback. Most sales negotiators are still doing this manually per viewing.
Solicitor and chain chasing. Once a sale is agreed, the bottleneck moves to the legal side. Automated weekly chase emails to solicitors, milestone tracking, and vendor/buyer updates don't speed up conveyancing — but they keep everyone informed and reduce the number of calls your team fields asking "where are we up to?"
Fall-through re-engagement. When a sale falls through, the property goes back on the market. An automated sequence that re-contacts previously interested applicants immediately — before a new marketing push — can cut re-listing time significantly.
We integrate with most CRM and property management platforms — Reapit, Jupix, Dezrez, Alto, Goodlord, and others. If your data lives somewhere, we can usually pull from it and push back to it. You don't have to move to new software.
The work we do sits on top of what you already use — it doesn't replace it. Think of it as adding a layer that handles the repetitive communication and data entry that currently requires a person.
Yes. We integrate with most property management and CRM platforms used by Cambridge agencies. The automations pull data from your existing system and push back to it — you don't have to change how you work or move your data anywhere.
Yes. Consistent automated chasing reduces referencing gaps. Automatic document generation reduces the chance of missing prescribed information. Scheduled inspection reminders mean inspections actually happen on time. Compliance is often a side effect of better automation.
Most agencies think their processes are more unique than they are. We'll sit down with whoever manages the lettings process and map it out — if it follows a pattern, we can automate it. If parts of it genuinely require judgement, those parts stay with your team.
It depends on volume. For an agency managing 50+ properties, the combined time saving across viewing coordination, referencing, landlord comms, and renewals is typically 8 to 15 hours per person per week. Smaller agencies see proportionally less but still meaningful savings.
Fixed price per project, agreed before we start. A single automation — referencing chasing, for example — starts from a few hundred pounds. A full lettings pipeline covering multiple workflows is more. We'll scope it and give you a number before any commitment.