Introducing Flow 2.0 — Search is here
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How Flow is making renting easier and cheaper than ever before
Where we started and why we’re here
A couple of years ago we identified what is arguably one of the world’s greatest problems today. The amount that people spend on rent as a % of their household income is more now than it has ever been.
In addition, there’s a global trend called #GenerationRent. This is a generation of people who are settling down far later, getting married at 35, are far more transient and are renting for longer. They are used to life on demand, they are on their phone for 5 hours a day, they have embraced the shared economy in every part of their life but their renting experience, the most basic human need and most significant expense, is still stuck in an industry that has not been changed in the past 20 years.
We’ve figured, the best way to tackle this problem is to take a shared value approach that unlocks trapped value in the rental ecosystem and set ourselves on a mission to make renting easier and cheaper for #GenerationRent.
We have grown to be the biggest tenant community in Africa
We launched to the South African market a year ago, by incentivising tenants with up to 20% of their rent back in rewards monthly including discounts on electricity, airtime, entertainment and more. With 80,000+ tenants and 4,000+ landlords onboard since Feb 2019, Flow seamlessly connects landlords and tenants by enabling them to manage their entire rental experience within one easy to use mobile app.
Flow Search is here to add even more value back into tenants’ pockets
Now, we are super excited to announce the next step in our rental revolution with the launch of our behavioural search platform. Flow 2.0, with search at its core, sets Flow apart as the first end-to-end rental platform. Tenants will now be able to find the best rentals anywhere in S.A. and immediately start earning rewards fully packaged with their new apartment. The profiling ability of Flow Search enables landlords to connect with pre-assessed tenants and makes it easy for them to motivate their tenants to stay for longer.
Moving home often tops the list of the most stressful life changes. Flow Search creates a rental ecosystem where tenants come first and their rental experience is smoother and cheaper than ever before. Our mission is to create better landlord and tenant relationships where everyone wins and renting is easier, more affordable and more rewarding for all.
Listings with benefits
Starting with what we’ve successfully done in the past year in rewarding tenants with great deals, we’re bringing benefits up to the front of the journey when tenants take notice first.
For landlords they can now package their rentals with unique deals that attract tenants faster than ever like moving trucks, rental deposit products, first month’s rent free, moving gifts and benefits throughout the lease for tenants that pay on time and look after their apartments.
Use your profile wisely
We’ve realised that currently when a landlord receives a lead from the available search portals, they haven’t been prescreened. The screening only happens after the viewing once the agent has spent quite a bit of time on the deal and only then realises the tenant may not qualify. This is why it was important for us to make sure that every single tenant that uses Flow registers and goes through a pre-screening before they can start their journey.
Tenants not yet ready to move should still update their profile, so that they will have the best pick of Flow apartments when they are ready to make the move. Choosing to rent at a Flow building means max discounts for tenants.
Faster response time
In a world where we are all engaging and communicating digitally, where we expect response and gratification now, it makes sense to drive communication on chat rather than call.
The chances of converting a hot lead deteriorates by 40% every 5 mins, making chat ideal for closing deals faster.
Tenants and landlords will now be able to chat using a real-time chat interface. Landlords will be able to jump in quicker than ever and assess the tenant’s profile and urgency before responding to the conversation and get the lease signed faster.
And there’s even more coming soon…
Search is live with over 100 buildings in Joburg CBD, and will be national within the coming months. Click here to view the latest on https://flow.rent/
And to give you a hint of what we’re developing in the next year , we’ll be putting even more focus on the rental journey from viewings, applications and leasing — to help both landlords and tenants get the lease signed faster.
