MANAGING
Smart utilities a key selling point for discerning tenants
F
inding great tenants and holding onto them has become the number one priority for landlords and property investors . With new data from Tenant Profile Network ( TPN ) showing that 11 % of rentals are now standing vacant , viewing your tenants as customers and delivering great customer experience could help you fill those vacancies . Empowering your tenant with intelligent utility solutions lays the foundation for this .
“ Rapidly changing consumer behaviour cannot be ignored and landlords shouldn ’ t make the mistake of thinking the South African consumer is any less sophisticated than their international counterpart . Ensuring your property is equipped with smart utility management is the minimum requirement when facilitating the new digital lifestyles expected from today ’ s consumer ,” explains Michael Franze , MD of Citiq Prepaid .
Smart meters record power ( or water ) consumption and alerts the consumer when units are running low , or consumption is above a certain level . Smart meters record consumption in near real-time throughout the day . The main difference from the regular prepaid meters we are used to is that smart meters allow two-way communication between the service provider and the meter . This information is collected and presented back to the Landlord and Tenant who then have a better understanding of how ( and when ) electricity is used . by between five and nine percent . In much the same way that a smart watch empowers users with data that can influence their daily behaviour , smart meters empowers tenants with information that can affect their consumption behaviour . Something the modern consumer will welcome ,” explains Franze .
Smarter lifestyles attract tenants and boost investment returns
The smart meter also enables the growing trend to offer greener homes that facilitate smart lifestyles . Smart TVs , smart fridges and homes that include features like self adjusting temperature , and lighting control that respond to your usage patterns , are growing in popularity . In fact , surveys have shown that smart homes can command a resale price of up to 5 percent more . On a R1,5 million home that is a tidy R75 000 and savvy investors and developers are seeing smart features as a must-have .
“ We are prepared for the future and the potential that it holds ,” concludes Franze .
“ Our expertise is aligned with the intelligence embedded into smart metering solutions and innovations and we ’ re looking forward to creating more efficient , greener and more relevant solutions for the market .”
“ This heightened awareness as a result of real-time measurement has been shown to result in incremental user changes . Studies done in the UK show that bills are reduced
SOURCE Citiq prepaid
20 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2020 SA Real Estate Investor Magazine