A group of landlords in Birmingham are spearheading an innovative trial of new technology designed to help them comply with local licencing and other regulatory requirements.

They are trying out a Lettings module launched by property logbook Chimni and, if successful, it is expected the tech will be rolled out nationally.

Log books are the existing digital online records for every property in the UK overseen by the Residential Logbook Association, of which Chimni is a member.

Usually used to help home sellers and agents prepare sales packs, this tech has now been adapted for rental properties backed by the Lettings Industry Council, compliance data firm Kamma and backed by Government cash from InnovateUK.

The new Lettings Logbook includes tools to help identify compliance requirements in different council areas and assemble required data and documentation, across a range of property types.

Landlords and letting agents face increasingly complex requests for regulatory data about a property when submitting licence applications, and in particular selective licencing.

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Chimni is working with the group of existing and new landlords in Birmingham who, for the trial, are being asked to set up Logbooks with the new Lettings module.  

The specification for the Lettings Pack was developed for use by all Logbook companies by the Residential Logbook Association (RLBA) with help from the Lettings Industry Council (TLIC).  

The Pack includes a digitised and interactive version of the new PropertyMark Lettings & Rental PIQ, which auto-completes from Logbook records.  

The focus of the trial is to work with landlords both within and outside of Selective Licencing areas to test the value of logbooks to help drive compliance within the lettings market, and see if they can streamline and simplify the process of proving compliance, and also help councils identify rental properties that are non-compliant.

“The intention is to provide data and documentation via API into existing lettings and tenant management software systems,” says says Chimni CEO Nigel Walley.

“This is about creating better prepared clients who use logbooks to manage their assets, not competing with agency systems.

“We are not expecting councils to mandate logbooks for private landlords - yet.

“A broader question behind the test is; ‘in which circumstances might a council mandate, or at least recommend, the use of digital property logbooks.”

The results of the test will determine how a ‘Lettings Pack’ option will be added to the core Logbook data specification for use by all RLBA member companies.