The government’s decision to relax lockdown rules in England has allowed the residential property market to restart, with letting agents given the go-ahead to restart operations, but it is unlikely to be business as usual.
In this new normal, virtual viewings will be a method that many reenters will use to find a property, and that is why Movebubble, the UK’s only video-first rental app, has decided to launch a new ‘Home Walkthroughs’ feature, believed to be a first of its kind property video viewing function which reduces the risk of moving home by removing the need to view a property in-person.
Movebubble’s platform allows users to instantly transact, allowing renters to find and secure a home in 30 seconds – complete with open banking affordability checks.
Aidan Rushby, CEO of Movebubble says “Over the past 18 months, we’ve seen a staggering 1300% increase in our renters showing intent to virtually view or transact online, without having to physically go and view the property.
“We have noticed a seismic shift in rental behaviour, with a readiness to adopt new ways of moving by using mobile and video technology. In recent months, the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically accelerated this shift in consumer behaviour.”
Movebubble is looking to pave the way for the future of renting with the new Home Walkthroughs interactive content feature – which offers unfiltered first-person virtual viewings via a mobile first platform, allowing renters to instantly view and secure a home – without ever having to step foot inside.
Rushby continued: “Life as we know it has permanently changed and social distancing is now the new norm. Our app allows renters to virtually step through different rooms in the property and view a series of short 15 – 45 sec video clips that are designed to connect with the consumer and offer a fully unfiltered viewing – with zero human contact.
“Renters can watch the Home Walkthrough videos and utilise the instant chat function, simply hitting the ‘Rent It’ button to instantaneously chat to the partner and finalise any details.
“As we evolve and adapt to new ways of working and living, video viewings will become the norm, and pave the way to solve many of the problems around physical viewings, said Rushby.
“With our Home Walkthroughs function, we are looking to empower the renter – enabling them to confidently virtually view as many properties as they’d like, all from the safety and security of their current home and distil the rental process into just 30 seconds of swiping and tapping.
“This is the first of many innovations that will enable Movebubble to be the only platform to offer end to end support, including credit checks, contracts and in-property support.”
