How Independent Saves Up to One Hour on Every New Tenancy by Automating Data Entry

“Sorted helps us run an efficient and effective business. By providing our customers with a seamless and unique experience we gain a competitive edge, and in integrating with our systems and streamlining several workflows we save so much time on low-value, repetitive admin — keeping our PMs and leasing team happy and engaged.”

Grace Hooper, General Manager, Independent Property Group

Independent Property Group is Canberra’s largest residential real estate company. Established in 1958, Independent leads the region in selling and renting homes with more than 3,500 rental properties under management.

The challenge

The property management team were drowning in data entry, getting stuck in fragmented systems and relying on too many manual processes to keep up with the agency’s rapidly growing portfolio:

• Fragmented systems: Independent used multiple systems across applications, leasing, and on-boarding, none of which talked to each other, meaning hours spent transferring data from one system to another, and a frustrating experience for tenants. 

• Compliance risk with manual data entry: When handling high volumes of applicant and tenant data, manual processes such as lease creation left too much room for human error and exposed the agency to risk.

• Time spent manually chasing rent payments: rent payments were handled by an accounts team and if ever a payment failed, the team were charged with chasing tenants by email or phone. This slowed the recovery of rental payments and fragmented the flow of communication between the agency and tenants. 

The solution

To save time and modernise the agency’s tenant experience, Independent turned to Sorted to:

• Streamline applications, approvals, lease creation and signing, rent payments and renewals in one platform

• Eliminate the headache of manual data entry across multiple systems — by working hand-in-hand with Palace, the agency’s core property management system

• Automate tenancy agreements — reducing human error

• Digitise lease signing 

• Automated reference checking

• Provide tenants with a free mobile app to manage their entire household, with the ability to: view all documentation, set up rent payments, book a mover and connect all their household services (gas, electricity, internet, insurance).

The Sorted platform was implemented across Independent and integrated with their core PMS system (Palace) in a matter of days, with full support and account management provided by the Sorted team, and no interruption to operations.

The results

• 60 minutes saved for every new tenancy 

• Eliminate paper applications and in person lease signing

• Modernised renter experience with lease documents, rental payments and services in one place

• Reduced compliance risk

• Break even on SAAS fees with revenue generated through Sorted marketplace referrals for tenants