Voyager Suite
Virtuoso
Investment Suite
RentCafe Suite
REACH by RentCafe
CommercialCafe Suite
Elevate Suite
Procure to Pay Suite
Aspire
Yardi Kube Suite
Yardi Corom
We sat down with Sebastien Simpson, operations manager for AWOL, to see how they’ve been using Yardi’s unified build to rent solution.
About AWOL
AWOL – A way of living – is City & Docklands’ fully integrated build to rent management arm that provides both value and a 5-star experience for its residents and returns for its stakeholders. AWOL offers the opportunity to be part of a like-minded community, where everything is taken care of and it’s all on your doorstep. Each AWOL home is part of a neighbourhood of apartments, offering a cultured and connected lifestyle for the independent renter. Beautifully designed spaces, exceptional service and a curated programme of events and activities, yet always affordable with no hidden costs. Simply put, it truly is A Way of Living.
What made you choose Yardi as your property management solution?
I’d used Yardi before and was keen to use it right away. I knew how the software worked and how it would make everything easier from the start. As a small team, it allowed us to almost instantly get up and running. I think the best thing about using Yardi is that we’ve only got one place to go. I don’t have four different software solutions where I need to find who to contact, who’s responsible, raise a ticket – just for that to get sent to another third-party. With Yardi, we have full visibility and a single place where we can get help when we need it.
How long did it take you to lease up the latest building at One West Point?
From the completion of Legacy Point, one of our latest buildings within One West Point, it was a month and 15 days to get 100% occupancy rate on 251 apartments. The building completed in September, but we were preleasing from July. On day one of completion, we were already 80% preleased. By mid-October we were fully leased and had everyone moved in.
From your experience with Yardi so far, what would you say has helped the most at AWOL?
I would say the app. We can upload all our manuals for residents such as fire safety and it’s helped streamline maintenance requests. It’s allowed our head of concierge to become more involved with the property management as he can liaise directly with the residents for access and uses Maintenance IQ – he gets all the information and can see the work orders come in through the app and act when needed.
We haven’t had to pick up a phone as it all comes through the app – it’s so easy to use. The app prompts tenants to add photos, videos and voice notes of the maintenance issue, so when it gets to my property manager, he knows exactly what the problem is.
It’s so efficient that we’ve been able to save 75% of our operations and management teams’ time overseeing maintenance requests.
It’s also provided an opportunity to help us generate extra revenue. Our latest initiative is allowing residents to book cleaners through our app. It goes to our property manager and a cleaner is assigned directly via the app – it’s all managed instantly.
Read the full interview with AWOL below.
