Private landlords are able to market their properties directly on Zoopla and Rightmove thanks to a new automated lettings platform that enables them to list homes on the portals on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Previously landlords would face cost-prohibitive barriers to getting their properties on Zoopla and Rightmove – two of the UK’s biggest property portals. By using PlanetRent, which has been created by residential property experts Ringley Group, private landlords can now directly market their properties on Zoopla and Rightmove. The platform, which is free to download and use, also allows landlords to easily create their own personalised website to advertise their properties on, with real-time reporting and updates on when offers are made.

For landlords who use letting agents, PlanetRent works on the premise that the landlord owns their properties so should be in control of the big data. Landlords can then invite any letting agents or contractors they use and transact using PlanetRent as their central marketing place. By streamlining marketing, PlanetRent aims to cut down costly void periods by ensuring that there is not a moment to lose in remarketing a property well before it actually becomes vacant. Tenants are automatically prompted by PlanetRent towards the end of the tenancy and are encouraged to renew. To make life easier for landlords and renters, PlanetRent has cut down the renewal process to just three clicks, and again allows all parties to transact remotely – which is useful in this socially distanced economy. If a tenant does choose to vacate however, they are automatically sent the necessary end of tenancy process and advice on how to get their deposit back as well as the requirements for them to assist in viewings, repairs and the remarketing process.

The marketing process is also automatically triggered too. All landlords who use PlanetRent have access to free property listings directly on the PlanetRent platform as well as social media feeds to their social media account. While the for-sale market has been hit by the expectation of falling prices and mortgage lenders tightening their lending requirements, especially for first-time buyers, the rental market has proven resilient and property experts are predicting a short-term spike in rental demand as people delay buying a home. Median rents in England reached a record high during lockdown according to the ONS. Research from Rightmove in May, showing activity in the first week since the lockdown eased, revealed that on Monday, May 18th, rental demand on the portal was registered at its highest ever in its 20-year history. Almost 23,000 new rental listings have come to the market since the first day of reopening, down 10 per cent on the same week last year.

Ringley Group, which developed PlanetRent in-house, has over 20 years’ experience in residential property and manages over 12,000 homes across the country. Ringley has also advised major investors such as Curlew, Moda Living and Patrizia. The company, which is headquartered in London with an office in Manchester, has invested over £2m in creating a suite of technological products like PlanetRent that look to simplify, automate and de-risk the lettings and operations of residential buildings.

Mary-Anne Bowring, group managing director at Ringley and creator of PlanetRent.co.uk, said: “We’re delighted to be able to offer our users access to directly market their properties on Zoopla and Rightmove. “PlanetRent has been designed to save landlords and agents, time, money and hassle, by automating the majority of the lettings process. Now more than ever, landlords need to focus on the correct marketing strategies for their properties and we’re confident that PlanetRent has the perfect offering for landlords of all sizes. “With the rental market on the bounce-back, landlords should take full advantage of the best places to market their property as competition in the market will reach the levels seen before the UK entered lockdown.”