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Virtual apartment tours spiked during the height of the pandemic, when touring a rental unit digitally was the safest and easiest option for many landlords and renters. In 2020, 72% of renters reported that they would rent a property sight-unseen if a virtual tour was offered.
While the rental market has eased back into in-person showings, the demand for virtual tours hasn’t gone away. Many of the most popular rental listing sites offer the option for landlords to post virtual tours, lending a higher level of transparency to renters and helping landlords generate additional renter interest and potentially reduce vacancy time.
Avail recently partnered with Matterport, an industry-leading spatial data company, to offer landlords an opportunity to create 3D virtual tours from Matterport digital twins, or replicas, of their rental properties. Using the Matterport Capture app and Matterport Axis
, a new motorized mount for smartphones with a rotating base, the combination enables landlords to easily create high-fidelity 3D virtual tours right on their smartphone that provide an accurate representation of their properties and make their listings stand out.
Prior to trialing Matterport, most of our landlords hadn’t created a 3D virtual tour before. Using Matterport for the first time, all landlords in the trial reported they would recommend Matterport Axis to a fellow landlord.
Landlord participants reported an average satisfaction of 8.5/10 when asked about the ease of their experience and an average of 9/10 when asked about the quality of the output they were able to produce.
“I love being able to post a 3D tour because that was the main search tool I used when house hunting,” one participant told Avail. “I advise all who need to show something, use Matterport to offer a virtual experience in addition to an in-person viewing.”
As homebuyers report that 3D virtual home tours are the feature they want most in their home search experience, virtual tours for the renting process offer similar perks — like allowing renters to access tours at any time, cutting down on time spent touring properties in-person, and even helping renters rent properties sight-unseen. Matterport offers landlords an efficient way to market their properties and address evolving search preferences with the Matterport Axis mount, starting at just $79.
“I previously thought virtual tour tech was cost prohibitive and time consuming such that it only made sense for professional property management companies,” another participant in the pilot program told Avail. “After using the Matterport Capture app with Matterport Axis, it’s clear to me that Matterport’s tech is cost effective and intuitive for DIY landlords like myself.”
Get tips for creating a virtual apartment tour and look out for updates coming soon to the Avail rental listing feature that will allow landlords to add a 3D virtual tour link to their rental listing.
Learn more about Matterpost Axis.
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]]>The post How Avail Is Taking on Rental Market Challenges and Strengthening Housing Security appeared first on Avail.
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DIY landlords and their tenants are the backbone of thriving residential communities across the country. When the pandemic began, uncertainty hit these communities seemingly overnight. How would renters now struggling with employment be able cover their next rent payment? How would landlords offset lost rental income? Would a wave of evictions sweep through the rental market?
Having reached more than a million DIY landlords and their tenants, Avail was in a unique position to help answer these questions and advocate for the independent rental community. Armed with insights and emboldened by impactful partnerships, we’re now creating new Avail technology solutions to target these rental market challenges and strengthening housing security.
When the pandemic began, Avail quickly created partnerships with national housing leaders like Urban Institute to better understand the pandemic’s impact on housing security. Together with Urban, we launched a national survey of independent landlords and tenants to inform policymakers on the pandemic’s impact.
As federal, state, and local governments began rolling out assistance programs, we highlighted barriers preventing landlords and renters from receiving assistance. To assess the health of these vital communities on an ongoing basis, we also created the Mom-and-Pop Landlord Rent Payment Tracker, which provides near-real-time data on rental payments across the country.
With an understanding of challenges faced by independent landlords and tenants, we began presenting these insights to the White House, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), U.S. Department of the Treasury, U.S. Census Bureau, and state and local housing authorities. This includes monthly roundtable discussions with the White House to provide updates and ensure that the voice of the independent rental community has a place in critical policy conversations.
While we’re proud of the research and advocacy work we’ve done to support DIY landlords and their tenants, we also recognize that advocacy alone won’t solve these challenges — it must be paired with action. Guided by our mission to make it easier for landlords to manage their properties and to improve the rental experience for tenants, we’re creating new technology solutions to overcome the challenges exposed by the pandemic.
To begin exploring how Avail’s technology tools could be used to support landlords and tenants in need, we partnered with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and a team of nonprofits to create the Local Rental Owners Collaborative (LROC) — a first-of-its-kind program providing assistance to struggling landlords and tenants in South Los Angeles. To support the program, we leverage Avail technology to facilitate application intake, document signing, distribution of assistance funds, and data reporting.
Having shown our tools to be effective in providing assistance to struggling landlords and renters in South LA, Avail was also chosen to participate in a tech sprint focused on “Preventing Crisis for Low-Income Renters & Small Landlords,” sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau and CFPB. Based on conversations with housing leaders across the country, we leveraged support from the tech sprint to refine our vision for Avail-powered technology that would increase connectivity between independent landlords, their tenants, and the housing agencies and nonprofits providing resources and support.
Guided by feedback from our landlords and tenants, and the strong partnerships we’ve built, we’re now putting this vision into practice. First, we’re building a new technology infrastructure platform that more closely connects housing resource providers to independent landlords and tenants in need. Second, we’re incorporating what we’ve learned into existing Avail tools, ensuring that landlords and tenants have access to more resources than ever before. Lastly, we’re continuing to expand our partnerships and grow our impact, especially with housing agencies and nonprofits that can leverage these new tools.
Independent landlords and their tenants are the backbone of healthy housing communities across the country. With new technology solutions to rental market challenges, Avail is committed to strengthening housing security in these communities.
To learn more about this work and get involved, visit our website.
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]]>The post Welcome to the Avail Referral Program 2.0 for Landlords appeared first on Avail.
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Avail has launched its new-and-improved referral program, allowing landlords to save money when managing their rental just by referring their landlord friends to Avail. Changes to the previous referral program make it even easier to share our platform with others while getting the most out of your own Avail account.
What Is the Avail Referral Program?
Through your landlord account, you can easily refer other landlords to sign up for Avail. After they sign up, you both will receive $50 in account credit that will be automatically applied towards your subsequent charges within the Avail platform.
What Changed With This Referral Program Relaunch?
As a refresh of the old Avail Referral Program, a few things have changed with this next iteration. First, the referral process is much more streamlined, allowing for you to easily send a referral link to other landlords through email, messaging, Facebook, or Twitter.
Both you and the landlord you refer will also receive $50 in Avail credit once they have successfully created their first account — a step up from the free Rent Analysis Report referred landlords originally received after adding their first property. An Avail landlord will be able to refer a maximum of 10 landlords for a total of $500 credits.
How to Get the Most Out of the Avail Referral Program
There are many ways to get the most out of the Avail Referral Program. After you start earning credits, any subsequent charges for a Rent Analysis, tenant screening fees, and even the cost of your Unlimited Plus account will be covered.
Learn more about how the program works and how you can easily save money while managing your rentals with the revamped Avail Referral Program.
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]]>The post Realtor.com® Acquires Avail appeared first on Avail.
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Today is an exciting day for the Avail community! Realtor.com®, a leading online destination for real estate services, has acquired Avail.
Since launching Avail 8 years ago, we’ve been working hard to improve the rental experience for landlords and tenants by providing tools, educational content, and amazing customer service.
Over time, Avail has evolved to respond to the needs of our growing, diverse community. Together, with your help and input, we’ve made Avail stronger. Today is another step in the journey.
By joining realtor.com®, we’re combining the leading platform for DIY landlords and tenants with realtor.com®’s outstanding consumer experience. Landlords will have access to best-in-class tools and resources and renters will have a one-stop-shop for finding, securing, and living in their new space.
What’s Changing
While this acquisition is an exciting milestone for our team, we don’t expect any immediate major changes with the Avail brand, online tools, or resources. Our entire 30+ person team is joining realtor.com®, and we remain committed to providing you the same quality tools, resources, and service you’ve come to expect and appreciate.
What This Means for Existing Avail Landlords and Renters
In short, nothing with your account changes. You can continue using all of the tools you’ve come to rely on, and continue paying and receiving rent as normal. The way you access your account, your account settings, and all your account information will remain intact. Moving forward, we’ll continue investing in the platform, building out new functionality, and making other changes based on your feedback.
What Does This Mean for Future Avail Landlords and Renters
If you’re not currently an Avail landlord or renter, you should sign up now. Avail is consistently the highest-rated online platform for DIY landlords across the U.S. and basic functionality is free for landlords, regardless of how many units you own or manage. Landlords benefit from time-saving tools and tenants benefit from a digital experience they love. One of tenants’ favorite parts of Avail is that we automatically report on-time rent payments to TransUnion.
How realtor.com® and Avail Lead in 2021
We believe in a future in which renting a home and managing a rental can be a positive and rewarding experience. With the realtor.com® brand and digital properties, we’ll be able to help more landlords and tenants achieve their real estate goals.
“This acquisition is a key part of our strategy to make finding a home easier and more rewarding,” said David Doctorow, CEO of realtor.com®. “We believe that Avail is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of the DIY landlords and tenants in a large, growing and underserved market. By combining Avail’s rentals listing content and easy-to-use tools with realtor.com®’s large audience, consumer experience platform and insights, we believe we can deliver more value to DIY landlords and tenants. I’m excited about what the tremendous team at Avail will add to the talented staff here at realtor.com®.”
Q&As for Avail Customers
- Does this mean Avail will continue improving the platform?
- Yes, we will continue improving the platform – only faster now as part of realtor.com®. We have several enhancements planned and we’ll be releasing new functionality next year to improve landlords and tenants lives. Our 30+ person team is staying intact so will receive the same level of support.
- Will prices increase?
- No, there are no planned price changes. Basic functionality will remain free for landlords no matter how many rentals they own or manage.
- Will I still access my account the same way?
- Yes, your login information is the same. You will continue to log in at avail.com/login.
- What will happen to the existing Avail features?
- You can expect to continue using the same rental management features that have always existed. The acquisition means our team will not only keep the same features we have today, but it also will enable our team to add more features and to improve the platform, faster than ever.
- Will Avail still offer live customer service?
- Yes. Avail customer hours will remain seven days a week by phone, chat, or email.
- Will customer service contact information remain the same?
- Yes, contact information will remain the same. You can reach our team of experts by phone at 312-292-9347 or by email at support@avail.co. You can also visit Avail.co and use our live chat widget for real-time support.
- What happens with my data?
- Your data will remain safe and secure at Avail. We take privacy very seriously and maintaining your privacy is one of our top priorities. All of your account information will remain intact and secure.
To contact customer service with questions email support@avail.co.
For press inquiries email press@avail.co.
Read the full press release directly from realtor.com®.
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]]>The post Change for Housing: Avail Launches Initiative to Support Local Nonprofits appeared first on Avail.
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Homelessness is a pervasive issue in the United States, with nearly 43.1 million people living at or below the poverty line and nearly 549,000 people confronting homelessness on a daily basis. The number of homeless individuals across the country is expected to increase as current renters face future waves of evictions due to COVID-19. A recent Avail survey found that nearly 31% of renters were not able to pay their full rent in August 2020.
In conjunction with Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week, Avail is excited to announce the launch of Change For Housing, an initiative designed to raise awareness and money for organizations helping people experiencing homelessness across the United States. The Change for Housing program aims to support local nonprofits focused on preventing homelessness with the goal of helping those who need it the most.
For those unfamiliar, Avail is an online platform that’s used by 600,000 landlords and renters across the country. Through the Change for Housing program, we will educate Avail landlords and renters about the many great organizations delivering comprehensive homelessness prevention services in their local communities. Landlords and renters will also be able to financially support these organizations by donating to their local organization from inside their Avail account.
La Casa Norte, a Chicago-based nonprofit that addresses youth and family homelessness in Cook County, is the first organization to benefit from the Change for Housing program. To date this year, La Casa Norte has served more than 10,000 individuals in 2020 and provided temporary housing solutions to over 4,500 families and youth in 2019. Through this partnership, Avail will raise money on behalf of La Casa Norte, as well as other organizations that join the Change for Housing initiative in the future.
The Change for Housing initiative is part of our company-wide mission to improve not just the rental process, but to have a positive impact on the broader U.S. housing market. Other collaborations with nonprofit organizations include our work with the Urban Institute, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit that conducts public policy research to “open minds, shape decisions, and offer solutions.”
To learn more about the Change for Housing program, or to talk about working together to combat homelessness in your community, please email us at changeforhousing@avail.co.
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]]>The post Avail and Urban Institute Collaborate to Expand Research on the Noninstitutional Half of the Rental Market appeared first on Avail.
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Avail and the Urban Institute are working together to further research on the 24 million rental units owned and managed by noninstitutional landlords and the renters who live in them.
Through a combination of Avail rent payment data and survey findings, along with world-class data analysis and research capabilities provided by the Urban Institute, the collaboration will provide comprehensive data and insights to the public on issues affecting independent landlords and their tenants.
“Urban Institute is excited to team up with Avail as a data provider,” said Laurie Goodman, co-director of the Housing Finance Policy Center at the Urban Institute. “Our work together will provide insights to the public about the noninstitutional part of the rental market, which is so important to the health and well-being of communities nationwide.”
The Avail Research Team frequently surveys landlords and tenants across the U.S. and has been able to provide anonymized and aggregate data about rent payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, Avail and the Urban Institute worked together on a rental market survey that found that Black and Hispanic landlords have been the hardest-hit by the pandemic, but are also the most willing to work with their tenants.
“We’re eager to continue to work with organizations like the Urban Institute to bring awareness to the underserved half of the housing market that’s owned and managed by independent, DIY landlords,” said Avail CEO Ryan Coon. “Urban Institute is among the most well-respected research organizations in the housing sector, and our collaboration will help raise awareness of issues that are often overlooked.”
Although independent, DIY landlords own and manage about half of all rentals in the U.S., this part of the market has historically been ignored in research efforts due to its fragmented nature.
“With more than 200,000 landlords using Avail, we have enough data to draw meaningful conclusions that will help drive policy recommendations,” said Coon.
Join the Avail newsletter for access to future rental market research and reports.
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]]>The post Avail Ranks No. 970 on the 2020 Inc. 5000 List appeared first on Avail.
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Inc. Magazine has announced that Avail ranked No. 970 on this year’s Inc. 5000 list. The annual list represents the fastest-growing private companies in America and identifies some of the most successful independent businesses across all industries, including healthcare, real estate, software, media, hospitality, and more.
According to Inc., this year’s list showed high competition and staggering growth from nominated companies compared to previous years. Companies that made the list have grown sixfold since 2016 on average, and the 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved a three-year average growth of over 500%. The Inc. 5000’s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.
“We’re honored to be recognized on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies,” said Avail CEO Ryan Coon. “This recognition is validation of the valuable work our entire team does every day to simplify and improve the rental experience for landlords and renters across the United States.”
Based in Chicago, Avail is the leading management and rent payments platform for DIY landlords and renters, and has experienced breakout growth as landlords and renters look for a contactless rental experience.
In July, Avail closed a $4.2 million Series A round of funding, accelerating the company’s position as a leader in the rental management space. Avail has expanded its team significantly in the last year despite economic challenges, adding employees across their marketing, product, engineering, and customer success teams.
Avail streamlines the rental process by providing tools for all stages of renting, from online tenant screening and background checks, digital leases, online rent payments, and maintenance tracking. The platform allows landlords and renters to move through the entire rental process digitally and contactlessly, which has been especially advantageous for landlords and their renters during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Avail has raised $9.7 million to date, and has a full-time team of 29 employees based in Chicago. The company is actively hiring for marketing, customer success, product management, and engineering roles.
More About the Inc. 5000
The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent — not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies — as of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.)
The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.’s September issue.
Complete results of the 2020 Inc. 5000 can be found at https://www.inc.com/inc5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria.
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]]>The post Avail Raises $4.2 Million in Funding appeared first on Avail.
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Avail is excited to announce closing a $4.2 million Series A round of funding to accelerate its position as the leading management and rent payments platform for DIY landlords and renters. The round was led by St. Louis-based Cultivation Capital.
Avail is experiencing unprecedented growth as DIY landlords move their rental businesses online and renters look for contactless renting opportunities, especially in terms of simple online rent payments.
“We’re excited to continue partnering with the team at Avail to improve the entire rental process,” said Cliff Holekamp, Cultivation Capital Cofounder and Managing Partner. “Avail has navigated the pandemic environment to be in an even stronger position than before. Their landlord and tenant tools are filling vacancies, collecting rents, and reducing the hassles and uncertainties involved in the rental market.”
As a software platform, Avail is focused on saving DIY landlords time by providing end-to-end resources that simplify every step of the rental cycle.
“Avail landlords typically own and manage a few rentals, often in addition to a full-time job,” said Avail CEO Ryan Coon. “We know how valuable their time is, so we’re proud of being able to automate the rental process for them.”
The company has also expanded and optimized tools for renters across it’s platform, including new features, interfaces, and content focused on common renter questions and needs.
“Equally important is improving the experience for the renters living in these units. They deserve best-in-class technology and service. We’re excited to make their lives easier with things like online payments that automatically report to the credit bureaus,” Coon added.
Since March, the company has used its rent payments data to publish industry-leading reports, summarizing how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted individual landlords and their renters. These reports have been used by lawmakers at the local, state, and federal levels as they consider different rent relief policies.
The company will use the new funding to further invest in expanding its core platform and bring new functionality to landlords and renters. The funding will also allow Avail to grow its network of integrations with other companies that offer adjacent products and services, like insurance, banking, and utilities.
“Our mission is to create a community of responsible landlords and trustworthy renters,” said Coon. “This investment brings us closer to delivering a better renting experience for the 53 million DIY landlords and their renters nationwide.”
More than 600,000 landlords and renters use Avail. The company has 28 employees, has raised $9.7 million in funding to date, and is still actively hiring.
About Cultivation Capital: Based in St. Louis, with offices in Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, Cultivation Capital manages a family of venture capital funds investing in software, life sciences, and agriculture technologies. Cultivation Capital is regularly recognized as being one of the most active early-stage investors in the United States.
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]]>The post Avail Partners With Lemonade for Tenant’s Renters Insurance appeared first on Avail.
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Here at Avail, our values are extremely important to us. That’s why we only partner with companies that align with our values and make lives easier for DIY landlords and their tenants. As of July 17, 2019, Avail has teamed up with Lemonade to become exclusive partners in providing renters insurance to tenants nationwide.
Through Lemonade’s advanced machine learning technology, we’re now able to seamlessly provide digital proof of insurance — eliminating the outdated process of tenant’s having to provide printed proof of renters insurance to their landlords.
Lemonade’s modern approach to insurance also means that everything can be done over the app or online, making quotes and claims quick, hassle-free, and user-friendly.
Who Is Lemonade?
Lemonade is a property and casualty insurance company that is transforming the very business model of insurance. By injecting technology — like artificial intelligence — and transparency into an industry that often lacks both, they’re creating an insurance experience that is fast, affordable, and hassle-free. Unlike any other insurance company, they gain nothing by delaying or denying claims (they take a flat fee), so they handle and pay as many claims as quickly as possible.
Additionally, because of Lemonade’s use of artificial intelligence, they don’t need insurance agents, which allows their premiums to be lower than a traditional insurance agency.
“One of the most important factors when considering a new partner is adding value to the user experience,” said Ryan Coon, Avail co-founder and CEO. “We believe that Lemonade’s technology-focused, user-centric approach aligns really well with the Avail DIY mentality and our user-friendly platform.”
Why Partner With Lemonade?
In addition to providing tenants across the country with an affordable (from $5 per month), convenient renters insurance option, Lemonade knocks it out of the park when it comes to values. As a Public Benefit Corporation and certified B-Corp, social impact is part of Lemonade’s legal mission and business model. This means that Lemonade is legally permitted to consider the interests of all its constituents, not solely the interests of its owners.
Lemonade even has a “Giveback” option when you sign up for renters insurance. When you get a policy, you can select a nonprofit you care about. Then, once a year, Lemonade tallies up the unclaimed money left from you and others who chose the same cause, and gives that unclaimed money (up to 40%) to the nonprofit you chose. As of 2019, some of the charities Lemonade gives back to include the ACLU, The Trevor Project, UNICEF, and the American Red Cross.
How Does it Work?
As a landlord and a tenant, renters insurance should be a must for both parties (more on that here), which is why here at Avail we made it a seamless experience with Lemonade. Now, when Avail users sign a lease in a state where Lemonade is available, they will be given the option to get a quote, which takes about 10 seconds. Once a tenant obtains renters insurance through Lemonade, they will be able to do everything on Lemonade’s app from sending claims, editing coverage, adding a significant other, and more. Even better, 30% of claims are handled instantly.
The partnership between Avail and Lemonade will also streamline the process for tenants to show proof of insurance to landlords. Landlords whose tenants sign up for renters insurance through Lemonade will be alerted, and have access to basic information about their tenant’s policy on their Avail dashboard. It’s a win for both parties. See for yourself how easy it is to sign up for renters insurance with Lemonade.
What Does Renters Insurance Cover?
Renters insurance usually covers your belongings, things that other people hold you accountable for, and temporary expenses if you can’t live in your rental. These fall under three types of coverage:
- Personal property insurance covers your belongings (bikes, laptops, TVs, etc.) in the event of a covered loss.
- Personal liability insurance covers damages you’re found liable for — like if someone gets hurt on your property or you damage someone else’s property.
- Loss of use coverage (sometimes referred to as additional living expenses) will help with temporary living expenses if your rental unit becomes uninhabitable.
What Is Not Covered by Renters Insurance?
Typically, the following things aren’t covered by renters insurance:
- Belongings that are lost by the owner
- Natural disasters
- Bed bugs
- Pet damage. However, in most cases, dog bites are covered under your personal liability clause
- Extra-valuable items (there’s a cap on jewelry coverage)
- Your roommate’s belongings
About Avail
Avail is an online platform for DIY landlords and their tenants. We provide tools, education, and support to make renting easy.
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