"I feel like Arthur Online was purposely made for me, because I'm both an owner and a manager. The app in particular is really well thought out"

Tell us about your business

I’m a private landlord, I started back in 2005 as a part-time landlord, and then in 2011 I really started growing my portfolio.  I started in Colchester, and now have properties in Ipswich, Harwich and Clacton, 80% of my portfolio is in Colchester.

What are your biggest operational challenges?

If I had the volume of units that I have now when I started, it would have be really difficult, if not impossible, to manage by myself.  As my portfolio started growing, I found more and more of my time was being consumed by admin. I had so many remittance statements to get through, it was really stressful, and now it’s done at the click of a button.

How has Arthur Online helped you overcome these challenges?

I feel like Arthur Online was purposely made for me, because I’m both an owner and a manager. The manager app in particular is really well thought out. Without Arthur Online I would have either had to be on-call for all my tenants or have had to employ several people to help manage my portfolio.

I no longer have to tell tenants when I’m away. I remember I was away skiing once, and a request came through to me to book in a contractor to do some repairs. I was able to book a contractor on my phone using the app, while on a ski lift! It’s great for me and my clients, they feel that I’m there for them at all times, with Arthur Online I can be, even when I’m not in the country!

Arthur Online has really helped with accuracy. Before I had huge remittance statements of 5-6 pages that I had to track manually. I’m sure I would have made a mistake in the calculations. On Arthur Online, everything is automated and therefore completely accurate.

What add-on features do you find most useful?

I mainly use text messaging, I actually don’t use many of the integrations, Arthur Online’s platform on its own is enough to cover my needs.

How did you find the on-boarding process?

Very simple.. I book a viewing, then turn it into a prospective tenancy. I set up accounts for all my landlord clients and ask them to download the app.

You’ve been using Arthur Online for a while now, what do you think of their ongoing customer support?

When I’m on my computer or on my phone, the Arthur Online app is one of the four applications I have open at all times. Chat is brilliant, I use it a lot. If I have an issue I send a message and I get a near instant response.

How much has your business grown since you started using Arthur Online?

Doubled! Started at 27 units and now I’m at 71.  I’m currently finishing up a HMO which has 5 units, and looking at adding another 4 units, so soon I’ll have 63 in total. I could never have done it without Arthur Online.

How much time has using Arthur Online saved you and your team?

Hard to quantify but I can safely say it’s saved me countless hours I would have spent managing my portfolio. I’ve also saved a lot on salaries.