New AI assistant to ‘automate the lettings process�...

Roby.ai, an Articificial Intelligence (AI) assistant, has been launched in the UK property market.

Thought to be an industry first, Roby.ai works for letting agents and property managers to automate many parts of the lettings process so they can spend more time building their businesses.

The cloud-based system is 'agile, flexible, and can adapt to how agents work' – depending on how much of the lettings process they want to automate.

How does Roby work?

Roby.ai is an operational system that looks after back office tasks for agents, sitting in the middle of the whole rental process.

Running in the background carrying out administration tasks, the system can connect to an agent’s existing CRM or accounting software, helping agents to manage all aspects of the rental process – from viewing and the tenant moving in, to collecting rent and managing maintenance issues.

It also offers a more streamlined service by helping agents to reduce the time spent on low-level administration tasks and focus on closing deals.

For example, registering a tenant’s deposit usually takes a letting agent around 25 minutes. With Roby, the task is automated and therefore takes no time at all.

Some of the processes that Roby can manage on an agent’s behalf include:

Organise viewings in one-click
Hybrid tenant referencing
Automation of property advertising
Digital signing of tenancy agreements
Property inventory management
Automated deposit protection and rent guarantees
Management of property maintenance process
Automated rent collection

Tom Reiss, chief executive officer of Roby.ai, commented: “We're not looking to change the way letting agents work, we want to fit in with how they currently work, providing them with a tool that dramatically reduces their administration workload and automates as much or as little of the rental process as they wish.”

“Some agents still want to use spreadsheets, while others want to be almost fully automated. Our AI assistant can fit in anywhere on this spectrum, helping to make each day that little bit easier for agents.”

Officially launching to the UK market this month, Roby.ai already has integrations with several industry suppliers in place and agents can choose the level of integration they want to pursue.

Multiple UK agents, with a combined rental portfolio of over 400,000 properties, are early adopters of the Roby tool. The cost of the tool is a subscription fee, based on agent’s portfolio size.

‘Reducing operating costs and improving customer experience’

As an autonomous tool, Roby.ai says it can execute many of the different tasks involved in the property management process.

The white-labelled solution – which allows agents to connect with clients using their own brand and colours – also adds that it is constantly learning and improving in order to meet the needs of the specific agency using it as well as their clients and customers.

“We've reached a point of 'too much information' for letting agents and property managers as the industry regulations tighten and the rental sector continues to grow rapidly,” Reiss explained.

“That's why they increasingly need tech solutions driven by AI to help reduce workload, minimise repetitive tasks and make things faster and easier for consumers, all while remaining compliant with increasing legislation.”

He added: “Alongside an unmanageable level of administration tasks, agents are increasingly having to cope with the challenge of using various technologies which don't integrate effectively for different parts of the rental process.”

"Roby eliminates this challenge by covering the whole process, meaning a huge number of agents' daily tasks are covered by one seamless, automated technology solution."

To find out more about Roby.ai or request a demo, you can click here.