General
Q. What is dezrezPM?
DezrezPM is a full lettings property management package that will sit alongside dezrez. It will include a full accounting module, maintenance, property management, reporting, invoicing and billing.
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Q. How much will dezrezPM cost?
The pricing structure for dezrezPM hasn’t been finalised yet but will be at market value and in line with the current monthly costing of dezrez.
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Q. Will I be able to access dezrezPM from within dezrez?
Yes. DezrezPM will be purchased as a fully integrated package with dezrez. Tenants, landlords and properties added to dezrez will be taken through the whole property management process without having to worry about double entry of data. It will save time and reduce the risk of error. You will be able to run your entire business including your full accounts from one system.
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Q. What about my data, will you be offering data migration?
We have employed a data migration team specifically for property management. We have been working on this for some time so that we can offer you a seamless conversion of your data from your current provider to dezrezPM. Contact us for more information so we can advise you.
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Q. Will I be able to access dezrezPM on my smartphone or iPad?
Yes, the technology that we are using for our dezrezPM will allow users to access their reminders, appointments, contacts, maintenance jobs and properties on mobile devices.
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Q. Will you be providing training and support for dezrezPM?
Yes. We will be providing full training for all agents that take on dezrezPM and our support team are currently in the process of becoming lettings experts to make sure their knowledge is second to none.
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Q. When can I have dezrezPM?
We are looking to launch dezrezPM in early 2013. However if you are interested in helping move this product forward we would love to hear your ideas and suggestions. We will be looking for agents to test the product before release so keep an eye on our blog for updates and follow us on Twitter for more information (@dezrezsoftware).
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Q. I work with overseas landlords, does dezrezPM allow for this?
Yes, dezrezPM will allow you to acknowledge overseas landlords and automatically calculate the tax due to HMRC for non-approved landlords. For approved landlords, as soon as the approval number is entered into dezrezPM, the calculation of tax will cease.
All of the necessary reports are built into dezrezPM to allow you to easily complete the quarterly and annual returns to HMRC required under the Non-Resident Landlords scheme.
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Q. I currently use dezrez, will my landlords and properties be visible in dezrezPM?
Yes of course. You will market your properties within dezrez, manage viewings and record offers. Once you have found a suitable tenant you can use our new pre-tenancy module to reference, take holding fees, payments and inventories, then check the tenant in. At this point the information is automatically carried across to dezrezPM ready for your property managers to schedule inspections and your accounts team to manage their account. Simple.
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Accounts
Q. Will the accounts module be double entry accounting?
No, we are not building an accounts package for accountants but an accounting package for estate agents so there will not be the need for an accountants level double entry. You will be able to receipt incoming rent and bills and cross check against rent demands. You will be able to make payments to landlords, raise bills and receipt invoices. Our reconciliation screen is built to make the task of settling accounts as easy and fast as possible.
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Q. Will dezrezPM integrate with my Internet Banking?
We plan to offer internet banking sync with dezrezPM in the future but not in our first release. In the current version you will be able to export lists of payment instructions into a .csv file, which you can format to work with your online banking software (compatibility may vary between banks).
We figure that you would rather have the elementary features needed to run property management as quickly as we can develop them! Of course we will however add functionality as we go. Keep an eye on our property management blog for updates.
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Q. What about security? I do not want all of my staff accessing the accounting module?
Each user can be set up with specific system permissions allowing you to control their access.
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Q. Will dezrezPM automatically generate rent demands?
Yes. Users can set up automatically generated rent demands each time a tenancy is setup. Of course adhoc rent demands can also be generated at any time.
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Q. Will my negotiators be able to print a receipt for cash payments?
Yes. All front of house users will be able to record the amount of cash received and provide a printed receipt to the client. They will also have the ability to notify the accounts team of the cash payment.
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Q. What if I want to hold back some funds to cover maintenance and fees before I pay my landlords?
We have developed a very intuitive accounts module. It allows you to receipt rent from a tenant, allocate it to the landlord and see outstanding bills and fees to deduct before making the payment, all from one screen.
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Q. We work slightly differently to other agents and have different fee structures. Is dezrezPM flexible enough to deal with this?
No problem at all. DezrezPM allows you to set up and manage your own fees. Add your own title, amount, whether it is a percentage or flat fee. You can add VAT automatically and specify whether or not it is recurring. You can also automate the fee setup on contract creation.
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Q. How will I complete a VAT return?
We have built in reports to allow you to include the transactions recorded in dezrezPM which need to be included on the VAT return (fees and expenses which are not disbursements).
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Q. How can I be sure all transactions in the system are correct?
There is an inbuilt reconciliation function in dezrezPM to ensure that the transactions within the software mirror those on your bank statement.
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Q. What features are there to prevent fraud?
Access to the accounts functionality is restricted to only those users you choose. Access to bank details is also restricted, and landlords and tenants receive a notification email when their bank details are changed.
The reconcile function allows you to check that all transactions on your bank statement match those in dezrezPM.
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Q. Will the software integrate with my existing accounts software?
dezrezPM will not integrate with your existing accounts software (e.g. Sage). However, if you wish to integrate the financial results into your existing accounts package, you will be able to easily access the relevant information in dezrezPM in order to allow you to post a journal into your current package on a period (e.g. monthly) basis.
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Features
Q. Will dezrezPM include a tenancy progression system?
Yes, we will be offering a fully customisable tenancy progression system so that you can add tasks that are important to your business. The workflows can be set up for all staff in all of your offices ensuring that everyone knows what they need to do next.
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Q. Will I be able to upload documents to dezrezPM?
Yes. All documents created within dezrezPM and locally on your PC can be uploaded to the document storage cloud. Store your tenant packs, landlord packs, gas certificates, deposit scheme information in the cloud. Grant password protected access to tenants and landlords for their review, saving you time and paperwork.
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Q. What about recording inspections?
DezrezPM will allow you to book all future inspections and get your reminders on your home page. You will even be able to access previous inspections and upload your feedback quickly and easily.
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Q. What does the maintenance module include?
The maintenance module enables you to manage maintenance jobs, track progress, store contractors’ details, set reminders and priorities, as well as managing incoming invoices and outgoing bill creation. Our focus has been fast entry of data and easy to access updates so that staff have a full account of their maintenance pipeline and progress at any given time. You will even be able to email and text jobs directly to contractors.
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Q. Will I be able to create tenancy agreements from dezrezPM?
Yes. Tenancy agreements, like letters, will be generated from within dezrezPM via templates that you can customise. We are currently working with an industry expert to provide letter templates that comply with industry regulations.
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Q. Will dezrezPM create inventories for us?
We know that all agents create their inventories differently which is why we provide a high degree of flexibility. You can use a template in dezrezPM, upload your own, or maybe you use a third party? No problem - upload their inventory to the dezrez cloud.
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Q. My accounts team work from Head Office, how can I keep them up to date with all activity across the branches?
To ensure everyone is kept in the loop we have developed a comment system that allows users to send messages to colleagues across branches that are connected to the property or person in question. Comments are displayed to users as soon as they log in and recorded in the history for future reference.
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Q. Can I record keys given to tenants?
Yes, users will be able to record the number of key sets given to tenants on move-in day. Document storage allows you to upload scanned keys or your own key record if required.
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Property Management
Q. Will dezrezPM remind me when tenancies are ending?
Yes. Our reporting functionality will provide you with a list view of all tenancies coming to an end.
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Q. Will dezrezPM remind me when gas safety certificates are expiring?
DezrezPM will prompt you to add important expiry dates such as gas safety certificates, EPCs, insurance documents etc. All expiry dates can be viewed in a daily dashboard that can be customised according to job role.
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Q. Will I be able to add utility readings to dezrezPM?
Yes of course. The software will ask for opening readings when a tenancy is created and closing readings at the end of a tenancy. Readings can be pulled through into documents such as inventories, letters to utility companies and landlord reports.
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Maintenance
Q. Can I add preferred contractors to dezrezPM?
Contractors are added to dezrezPM and can be rated as a "preferred contractor" for landlords and for you the agent, ensuring your staff know who to call for which job.
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Q. How can I send details of a maintenance job to my contractors?
All maintenance jobs raised can be sent instantly to contractors, tenants, landlords and your colleagues via email or SMS.
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Q. Will I be able to record the amount of maintenance spend a landlord has per property?
Yes. A maintenance retainer can be set up for the landlord so that they always have a reserve for maintenance work in their account. Users are alerted of this when a maintenance job is created and this amount automatically held back when rent is paid to the landlord.
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Q. Can I flag a maintenance job as an emergency?
When a maintenance job is created, users can specify how urgent the job is. Emergency jobs will jump to the top of your work list and be flagged with warning icons so that it is clear to all users which jobs have to be dealt with immediately.
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Q. Contractors send invoices for maintenance weeks after completion. How will my accounts team keep on top of expected invoices?
Our reporting tool will provide users with a list of expected invoices from contractors to ensure you stay on top of invoices after the job is complete. Your accounts team can add expected amounts and edit them when the invoice arrives, before sending a bill to the landlord or tenant.
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