Agent Slayer Marketing
It seems that every month a new website enters the market offering Landlords an alternative to renting through an agent. Yesterday heralded a new website for London Landlords arriving with the screaming headline
Property rentals like a top London agent… for free!
Agent Slayer (www.agentslayer.co.uk) offers landlords the opportunity to market their properties with the tools that top London estate agents offer. Personally I’m not sure the intended humour in the title quite works, but I guess finding free domain names is becoming difficult. The rather aggressive attitude towards Lettings Agents is continued throughout the company’s marketing with the Fan Page headed “Foxtons meets Gumtree without the smarmy agents, tacky mini coopers or the fees!” . The company declares that it has big ambitions, ambitious backers, and a management team experienced in property lettings, property management, classified adverts, new media and marketing. Unfortunately the management team and “substantial financial consortium” aren’t identified – only that they are advised by Attainment Capital, whoever they may be.
The website sells itself as having a glossier feel than the traditional alternatives for Landlords (classified adverts or message boards) and that it provides a one stop shop with all the value added services needed to successfully market a property, including the ability to upload photographs, maps and videos.
Having used the site myself I can confirm that it easier to use than it’s competitors, and that for a tenant the site offers a presentation the equal of the best Letting Agent websites with the promise of location map, streetview, photo gallery, videos, floorplan, and pdf. I would have to emphasis promise because some of these features require landlords who have prepared the information, and the ones on the site so far haven’t, and also the Google Streetview feature isn’t currently working (for me, using Chrome as a browser). For a landlord who doesn’t have their own website I think that this is going to be a great new free resource, but the question will be – will a property here get enough exposure? The site is offering that uploads will be listed on Craigslist, Vivastreet, and Gumtree, and frankly I don’t think that is enough – if you haven’t already it might be worth while at this point reading The Changing Face of London Flat Rental Advertising
In addition the site also provides (through partners) numerous value added services:
- credit checking,
- references,
- tenancy agreement & legal documents,
- professional cleaning,
- removals,
- inventory services
and they also offer a broad range of relevant products and services ranging from van hire to financial advice and products (insurance and mortgages) to utilities switching, and a shop selling furniture, appliances and homewares.
There is a host of free documentation, and advice on the site, all professionally presented, easy to find and use. This is the site’s first day of operation and it is far too early to tell whether it will carve itself a niche in an already overcrowded market, especially as it seems especially lightweight in the all important department of putting property in front of tenant’s eyes. Having said that I have bookmarked the site and will be exploring the information and services that the site offers. A welcome addition for London Landlords.
