JNR Properties is a leading letting agency based in Cardiff, specialising in student and young professional accommodations. Founded in 2012, the agency has built a strong reputation for providing high-quality housing solutions, with a focus on student lettings making up around 80% of their portfolio. Their mission is to offer exceptional service to both tenants and landlords, helping landlords grow their portfolios while ensuring students find safe and comfortable homes.

However, like many letting agencies, JNR Properties faced challenges with their student referencing process.
Previously, their referencing process was manual and time-consuming, requiring constant follow-ups with students and guarantors to collect IDs, proof of employment, or guarantor documents. Now, with Vouch, the process has been transformed. It is streamlined, automated, and far more efficient, saving the team hours of admin time while enhancing security and professionalism.

Approach to student referencing before Vouch

Before partnering with Vouch, JNR Properties relied on a manual referencing process that involved a lot of back-and-forth communication with students and their guarantors. As Connor, a key team member at JNR Properties, explained:

"There wasn't a lot of referencing; we primarily collected a form of ID from them. If they were employed, we'd ask for proof of employment. But for students, they normally went down the guarantor route. So it'd be ID of the guarantors and proof of home ownership. That's all we were really looking for."

While the process wasn’t overly complicated, it was time-consuming and required constant follow-ups. Connor highlighted the biggest challenges:

"It was mostly just the chasing. It wasn’t something that was difficult, but it was more of an inconvenience, something we had to keep on top of. We had to remember who we still needed to chase."

The team often found themselves sending multiple emails and reminders to students and guarantors, which took up a significant portion of their day. Additionally, some guarantors felt uncomfortable sharing sensitive documents like mortgage statements over email, which added another layer of complexity to the process.

Bringing Vouch into the business

JNR Properties decided to adopt Vouch to streamline their student referencing process and free up time for their team. Connor explained why they chose Vouch:

"I think it was purely for the benefit of giving us a little more free time. Since the software itself handles automatic reminders and tells people exactly what they need to do next in the process, we don’t have to manually manage every single tenancy or every potential tenant’s guarantor. It allowed us to focus on other tasks while that part of the process took care of itself in the background."

The transition to Vouch was smooth, with the team getting up to speed within two weeks. Connor shared:

"It didn't take as long at all. I'd say within a fortnight we were all up and running and we knew what we were doing."

Vouch’s user-friendly platform and responsive online chat support made the adoption process straightforward, even for a team that had never used a referencing product before.

Freeing up time spent on admin

One of the most significant benefits JNR Properties has experienced since adopting Vouch is the reduction in admin time. With Vouch’s automated reminders and centralised platform, the team no longer needs to spend hours chasing students and guarantors for documents. Connor shared:

"Because Vouch sends its own reminders every day, it's just one less thing for us to worry about."

The platform also collates all referencing information into one place, making it easy for the team to track progress and see where each application stands. Connor explained:

"It’s helpful that it manages all the information on one screen, so we can scroll down and see the different tabs for what’s in progress and what’s awaiting review. It just breaks everything down. Instead of having to make manual notes, it’s all in one place that everyone can access."

This centralised approach has not only saved time but also improved collaboration within the team. If one team member is off, another can easily pick up where they left off without missing a beat.

Extra security and peace of mind

In addition to saving time, Vouch has added an extra layer of security to JNR Properties’ student referencing process. By moving away from email attachments to a secure online platform, the agency has improved the professionalism and security of their process. Connor noted:

"Uploading through the platform elevates the process, projecting a more professional image than standard email attachments."

Vouch’s thorough referencing process, including credit checks and employment references, has also given JNR Properties and their landlords greater peace of mind. Connor highlighted:

"It gives the landlords much more peace of mind. They don’t have to worry about whether we’ve done the necessary checks because the system handles it for us."

This added security has been a game-changer for JNR Properties, helping them build trust with their landlords and ensure compliance with referencing standards.

 

Want to see how Vouch could help your agency?

Discover how Vouch can streamline your student referencing process and save you valuable time. Arrange a demo with one of our team today.