Offer accepted, then a week of chasing
The landlord has accepted an offer. The applicant is keen to move. Then referencing starts. The applicant has not finished the online form. Their employer's HR email bounces. The previous landlord is on holiday. A guarantor is needed and nobody told them. The lettings negotiator spends every morning ringing, emailing and checking the referencing provider's portal to see what has moved.
Meanwhile the landlord asks for updates, the applicant asks why it is taking so long, and the move-in date gets closer.
None of this is difficult work. It is just constant. Each tenancy in progress has half a dozen loose ends, and a busy lettings team might have many tenancies in progress at once. The negotiator's real job, finding tenants and keeping landlords happy, gets squeezed into whatever time the chasing leaves.
Where the delays really come from
Referencing providers do much of the checking. The delays sit around them, in all the inputs that have to arrive from people who have no particular reason to hurry.
- Applicants start the referencing form and do not finish it.
- Employer and previous landlord references wait for someone to reply.
- Guarantor requirements are identified late, after the first check.
- Right to rent checks and supporting documents are requested separately and tracked in email.
- The provider's portal shows status, but nobody gets told when something changes.
- Several tenancies are in progress at once, so it is hard to see which one needs attention today.
What the chasing costs
Negotiator time is the obvious cost. Less obviously, slow referencing increases the risk of an applicant pulling out, delays rent starting and irritates landlords who expected a quick let. Missed steps create compliance exposure, particularly around right to rent, which you need to be able to evidence.
| Outstanding item | Who has to act | Chase by |
|---|---|---|
| Application form | Applicant | Text and email reminders |
| Employer reference | Employer | Provider chase, then negotiator call |
| Previous landlord reference | Previous landlord or agent | Provider chase, then negotiator call |
| Guarantor details | Applicant and guarantor | Reminders to both |
| Right to rent documents | Applicant | Upload link with reminders |
How we remove the chasing
- We connect to your referencing provider through its API or status notifications where it offers them, so each applicant's status updates automatically.
- We build a tracker per tenancy showing every required item, its status and who is responsible, visible to the lettings team on one screen.
- Reminders go to applicants and guarantors by text and email at intervals you choose, with a direct link to the part they still need to complete.
- Document uploads go through a secure link, with files stored against the tenancy and the negotiator notified when something arrives.
- When an item passes a stage you define without movement, the tracker creates a task for a named negotiator to call, with the context on screen.
- Landlords receive automatic progress updates so they do not need to ring for one.
- Once everything is complete, the tenancy moves to the next stage in your CRM, ready for contract and move-in.
We do not make referencing decisions. The provider and your team still judge the results. The system just stops things waiting for someone to notice.
After the tracker is in place
Each morning the lettings team opens a list of tenancies needing a human today, rather than checking every one. Applicants get reminders without a negotiator having to write them. Landlords see progress. When a reference is stuck, the right person knows about it on the day it becomes stuck, not a week later.
Negotiators also get their evenings back from the habit of checking portals on their phone. The tracker does the checking, and if nothing needs them, nothing asks for them. When a new team member joins, they can see exactly where each tenancy stands without inheriting a pile of email threads.
Does this sound like your lettings team?
- Negotiators check the referencing portal manually several times a day.
- Applicants often leave referencing forms half-finished.
- Guarantors are identified late in the process.
- Landlords ring for updates on referencing.
- Documents for right to rent checks arrive by email and get lost.