Housemates, the instant book student accommodation marketplace operating across 40 cities in the UK and Ireland which we have closely followed the progress of on PIT, has released two new features which it believes will not only help the business work with all PBSA and PRS providers, but push the sector forward to adopt the instant book way of working.

The launch marks the entrance of new to market features called Payments+ and Housemates Tag.

Payments+ has been developed on top of the platform’s payment architecture to enable accommodation providers to use their own bank accounts in an easy plug and play way, as well as managing refunds directly. The service is being offered to accommodation providers without additional cost and is bundled into Housemates ‘pay on success transaction-driven business model’.

“We are gaining momentum across the UK with a range of accommodation providers but we want to continue to push the movement of the instant book further,” Lydia Jones, the young entrepreneur who founded Housemates, said. “We have identified that some accommodation providers and their shareholders aren’t against the concept of instant book but they just need to be able to handle payments themselves. The launch of Payments+ means any accommodation provider can work with Housemates in a way that works for them and their operations.”

Housemates Tag is what the firm is using to tackle availability issues for those accommodation providers that don’t have the time, resource or compatible PMS system with Housemates, but want to ensure their inventory is up to date on Housemates’ marketplace.

“Ensuring we avoid double selling beds and offer the best student first online experience is crucial to our success,” Jones added. “We understand that accommodation providers are busy with the day-to-day operations and my business development and accounts team help operators update their availability. Reducing cost is something we remain focused on for all parties involved in the transaction.”

She added: “Housemates Tag allows us to capture real-time availability based on accommodation provider’s websites which then automatically updates the bed availability in Housemates Occupy as a result updating our marketplace inventory for students.”

Jones, who is also the CEO of the company, said the firm has spent the last two years working closely with a range of accommodation providers ‘and this has been a great opportunity for us to gain insights’.

“We are fixed on building a platform that provides a range of functionality, without the cost that traditional lead generation platforms and services,” she concluded.

You can find more information on the new features here: https://housemates.io/business.