Paperless billing is one of the greatest facets of the Internet, especially when it comes to recurring payments. For many folks, the biggest monthly expense is rent, and the process of sending off a check, or coordinating payments with roommates to keep a roof over your head is a juggling act. Rentomatic (which rolls off the tongue a lot easier than its predecessor iiProperty) is aiming to help change that for people in apartment buildings with anywhere from one to ~50 units.
While this technology remains mostly unchanged for landlords who might have previously used iiProperty to handle finances, expiring leases, and online advertising of open apartments, Rentomatic adds some new perks to the tenant side of things with a whole new front end that lets renters pay without a paper trail. Once you've linked your bank account or credit card, you can pay the rent while in your pajamas or even set up automated billing. It's also got a built-in service for maintenance forms, in case something at your place needs a little TLC.
In addition to the personal tools, there's an internetwork messaging system that works like e-mail. This is most helpful for larger complexes with landlords who live offsite and don't want to have to make a trip just to get to an empty mailbox, or when they want to send out a building-wide notice. Landlords can also set it up to automatically send their tenants e-mail reminders if a payment is overdue.
Rentomatic's dashboard is eyeball-friendly for landlords. Tenants can now also enjoy a way to pay their rent sans paper checks--trees will rejoice.
(Credit: Rentomatic and Investment Instruments, Corp)Rentomatic's got three tiers of service. The first is a free version for as many as five leases. There's also an all-you-can-eat "advanced" plan that adds tax forms and tracking for maintenance. To get the client front-end that lets tenants pay with their bank account, landlords have to pony up for the "Rent Management" plan, which runs $5 per unit per month.
See also: Rentometer, which we checked out in August. It's made by the same folks as Rentomatic. This tool lets you see how much you're paying for rent compared to your neighbors.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
Moving can be a strange experience. Even stranger are the people you meet along the way. TenantMarket is a new service that plays matchmaker for both landlords and potential tenants in an attempt to avoid potentially bad living situations. You simply give TenantMarket details like length of employment, credit status, and reasons for moving, and it will match you up accordingly.
Landlords pay to have their listings matched up, and the system provides them with a fresh set of "leads" to contact. Likewise, potential renters are e-mailed personalized offers about new places that match their criteria. It's like having a real estate agent, but for apartments.
I'm digging the idea, but in some ways I think it's going to be hard to ween people off of the classifieds model. If you're planning to move and have time, it's a great free service to try. But if you're looking for instant gratification, and want to avoid the waiting game, Craigslist and your local newspaper offer faster results.
[found on eHub]
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