Benjamin Elliott Property automation plaatform EVO has added affordable housing provider Storm Housing to its expanding client list and signed a partnership with UK B Corp Housing tech provider, SimplyPhi (formerly Phi Capital Investments).
The company is also expected to announce further p.artnerships with major Local Authorities which will mean a quadrupling of EVO’s portfolio nationwide.
EVO is a digital property management solution that seamlessly connects landlords, tenants and tradespeople with simple, easy to use technology, to drive customer satisfaction whilst dramatically reducing cost to serve. The platform’s mission is to solve Britain’s ‘broken’ rental property sector amidst reports of up to 2.8 million people living in substandard housing.
The app provides a way to maintain and responsively repair property by providing a fully managed solution so that both landlord and tenant don’t have the hassle of sorting, while unlike other providers, all builders are pre-approved and EVO warranties the work for 12 months. This allows tenants to feel in control and enhances their experience which reduces void periods, and saves administrative time and management cost for landlords according to the platform’s developers.
Currently EVO is used by residents in over 5,500 properties for both private and public sector landlords which the company expects to rise to 12,500 properties on the basis of its current partnerships and contracts. EVO also works in partnership with homelessness organisation Capital Letters and their 20 member London Boroughs, to help speed up the repairs of housing, thus housing more London families who are desperately in need.
In its recent funding round which saw the company achieve 127% of its £1m target, EVO announced its ambitions to scale up considerably with a target to onboard over 300,000 properties by 2026, which represents 3% of the UK repairs market. They plan to do this by targeting private landlords, major lettings agents and aggregators, and social housing providers & large-scale property investors.
In addition to Housing Associations, Local Authorities and Registered Providers, EVO is used by property giants Grainger plc and British Land to enhance their customer experience and minimise voids.
CEO, Steven Rae, says: “These new partnerships are fantastic news, not just for our business, but for our shared mission of providing a better experience for renters and, specifically for social and affordable housing tenants. More supply of better quality homes is something that will ultimately bring waiting lists and times down too as quicker repairs mean quicker turnaround of stock released back into occupation. The provision of this experience is no different to what we do with institutional BTR operators and developers – many of whom also share our ambition of fixing the rental market which has suffered from PRS landlords leaving in their droves and delays affecting the release of stock back to people who need it. Essentially we all want the same thing – to have a fairer and more accessible housing market for all.”
Storm Housing Group was established in 2020 and is a registered provider of Social Housing across England, working with the largest housebuilders alongside its internal development partner Storm Property, delivering new sustainable and environmentally friendly housing for affordable rent and shared ownership. Its target is to acquire over 1,000 homes per year and deliver 5,000 properties to the housing sector by 2028.
Sam Roden, chief executive of Storm Housing Group, says: “We’re absolutely delighted that Storm Housing Group is partnering with EVO. As a new Registered Provider, one of our main priorities is to raise the bar in terms of customer satisfaction as well as remove any inefficiencies in the way that social housing is currently managed. After reviewing all products that are currently on the market, EVO was the clear winner, as from a resident’s perspective, the interface and workflows are far superior to anything else out there, allowing a truly digital end-to-end customer experience at a far lower cost than traditional management.”
SimplyPhi is an established real estate and technology service provider to both Public Sector Organisations and Real Estate Investors. The company wants to digitise the complex process of buying, selling, renting and renovating housing in the UK by utilising EVO.
Omar Al-Hasso, CEO of SimplyPhi, says: “This partnership with EVO is a great fit for our council customers. EVO’s unique and innovative platform will help us extend our service offering by providing a long-term tenant-centric digital repairs and maintenance wrapper. Where Search Select kicks off the entire acquisitions process, Evo’s service book
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