Services
We are landlords and investors and aim to solve our services around cash flow and return on investment goals for our landlord clients.
We work differently from typical rental agencies. We structured our services to provide student accommodation landlords with the option to have a pleasant, passive income experience while still achieving the great returns that can be achieved with student accommodation.
Services Options
Property Sourcing and Conversion:
We aim to locate the perfect student accommodation property that aligns with your budget and income. We consider your specific preferences and experience to ensure we find a living space that suits your needs.
- We will analyse and screen your identified property for suitability and estimate the profit on your property for you.
- Recommend furniture for your property.
- Modifications to your property are recommended to maximise income whilst remaining compliant with legislation and NSFAS accreditation requirements.
- Purchase furniture for your property from our suppliers to save on costs due to our bulk discount prices.
- Run your conversion project for you using our trusted suppliers who are experienced in student accommodation.
Placements:
We promote the house’s availability to a broad audience through multiple channels. This includes email, social media, and targeted advertising to our extensive database of 200,000 students. Additionally, we distribute flyers and leverage our strong network of university contacts and placement agencies to ensure maximum visibility for the property.
We also:
- Arrange for photos to be taken of the property for marketing purposes.
- Arrange viewings with prospective students and/or parents.
- Collect all required documentation for application purposes.
- Screen applicants for suitability.
- Sign and store leases securely.
Rental Collection:
Our close collaboration with universities enables us to report any delinquencies and recover outstanding payments directly from the institutions.
Additionally, we:
- Create and send out invoices and statements to the students, parents and/or bursary officers
- Prepare required documents for the University NSFAS private boarding process, such as prepping original copies of certified landlord IDs, municipal accounts, landlord company documents (where owned in a company), affidavits, proof of addresses, etc., per student.
- Complete the NSFAS private boarding application forms and submit them with supporting documents to the relevant bursary officers.
- Collect rental payments monthly, quarterly, or when rent is due from the university, students, and other bursary bodies.
- Track and report on outstanding payments
- Hand over arrears accounts to attorneys for collection
House Parent:
A live-out Student Liaison Officer, also known as a House Parent, is shared between several properties. Their role is to check on the students staying at each property once a day, at least five days a week.
House parents are dedicated to specific properties. A live-in house parent will be required:
- Where there are difficult neighbours,
- More than 50 students on a property
- In cases with constant discipline issues where closer management and enforcement of house rules are required
- Where a serious incident involving the police has occurred
- Properties in an area with safety concerns
House Parent Roles for the Student:
- Foster good relationships between the students
- Deal with student and parent complaints and actions to maintain accreditation
- Discipline and house rule enforcement.
- Issue warning letters
- Collect fines for transgressions
- Track behavioural issues
- Report issues to the University
- Report and discuss remedial actions with parents
- Arrange for delinquent students to be removed from the property
House Parent Roles for the Property:
- Supervises cleaner and gardening service, ensures that bins and garbage areas are kept clean and hygienic and supervises maintenance work.
- Managing the use of water & electricity
- Managing the daily safety and security of the property and ensuring that the students keep the property secure at night.
- Buying monthly cleaning materials.
- Troubleshooting internet connectivity problems where necessary
- Report security incidents to the police where necessary
- Provide the landlord with annual accreditation requirements for the property
- Oversee accreditation required actions implementation
- Ensure sufficient keys are available
Operations:
Our range of operations includes in-house services to help landlords minimise costs associated with external contractors
We use smart technologies, such as smart geyser switches and IP cameras, to manage your property’s costs and security. You can arrange these services yourself or use our internal team.
- Maintenance: Our in-house team can perform basic maintenance to keep the property in good condition without spending a lot of money on external contractors.
- Cleaning: Cleaning common areas is essential. Our in-house cleaners can assist and are monitored by management. We recommend cleaning at least once a week.
- Gardening: We keep your property looking good outside and inside. Our gardening teams cut the grass and maintain the bushes.
- Pest Control: We always keep vermin under control through monthly treatment
Investor Services:
Our team is dedicated to helping you find the perfect property that matches your budget. We specialise in converting properties into optimal living spaces for students, handling everything from furnishing to maximising space usage. Additionally, we leverage our bulk purchasing power to provide you with significant savings from major suppliers.
How we Mitigate Risk:
Cashflow: NSFAS vs. Private:
When managing cash flow, we carefully analyse the financial differences between students funded by NSFAS and privately funded students. This allows us to provide our landlords with diverse student types, helping them effectively manage their cashflow.
Vacancy Risk:
We help minimise landlords’ vacancy risk by offering pre-signed leases to students upon their university acceptance. This reassures landlords by securing tenants well in advance, offering them peace of mind and financial security.
Budget: Buying Power:
We can leverage the large volume of students we work with to negotiate bulk discounts for smaller landlords, allowing them to benefit from the buying power that comes with serving a large population of students.
One-Stop Service:
Operating student housing can seem like a challenging experience, leading many landlords to give up within the first year due to management issues. To address this challenge, we offer a comprehensive one-stop service encompassing all aspects of student housing management, including leasing, maintenance, tenant relations, and administrative tasks. We aim to provide landlords with the support and expertise they need to thrive in the student housing market.
We follow a strict process to ensure the properties we manage are set up correctly from the outset. This will determine the property’s success, from placing the correct tenants to collecting rent efficiently.
Providing a place to call home to students across South Africa is an immense responsibility and duty that all of us owe to our children. It sets them up for success and helps them become the future leaders that South Africa deserves. Will you help us fulfil this duty?
Finished Project
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