Digitization of the tenant's intake up to signing the lease

Digitalization is increasingly present in the field of real estate and offers great flexibility with personalized offers to meet the new needs of owners and tenants. By making real estate management more efficient and practical, digitalization offers an improved experience for tenants and owners while optimizing costs and reducing delays.

Offer a candidate tenant space

The candidate tenant space is a key element in digitizing the tenant entry process. Using this solution makes it possible to facilitate the candidate's journey to rent a property. This is an online space where the candidate can fill out their rental application and provide all the information necessary to check their solvency.

Thanks to digitization, the candidate tenant can now access this space easily and remotely fill out their application at their own pace.

For the candidate, this digitalization also saves time and facilitates the procedures needed to rent a future home. The information requested is clearer and better explained, and the candidate can follow the progress of their file in real-time.

For prospective tenants, the benefits of the candidate tenant space include:

• Easy online application: candidate tenants can apply remotely online directly from the platform, without having to travel or send paper documents.
• Greater transparency in the rental process: candidate tenants can monitor the progress of their application in real-time and be informed of their application's status, without having to call or send emails to get news.

Manage candidate files more quickly

For managers, the candidate tenant space makes it possible to receive candidate files more quickly, to centralize all documents and supporting documents, and to process them more efficiently.

A rental insurer may ask you to send them the candidate's file in order to validate it. This check ensures that the candidate is in a position to pay their rent and meet their rental obligations.

For property managers, the benefits of having a candidate tenant space include:

• Time and efficiency optimization: Property managers can process application requests more quickly and efficiently thanks to the use of the platform, in particular by reducing administrative tasks related to paper file management or email exchanges.
• Information centralization: The platform makes it possible to centralize all information relating to prospective tenants and real estate available for rent, which facilitates the management and coordination of rental activities.
• Improved client experience: Candidate tenants benefit from a smoother and more pleasant rental experience thanks to a user-friendly platform, which can contribute to tenant loyalty and improve the reputation of the real estate agency.

Drafting the lease

Once the candidate tenant has been selected, a lease sheet is created to gather all the necessary information in your business software.

The lease must contain all of the following information:

• Contact details of the parties: The lease must include the names and addresses of the owner and tenant.
• The description of the rented property: The lease must precisely describe the rented property, including the address, the number of rooms, the area, etc.
• The duration of the lease: The lease must specify the duration of the rental, as well as the conditions for possible renewal.
• The amount of the rent: The lease must indicate the amount of the rent, as well as the terms of payment (date, frequency, method of payment).
• The security deposit: The lease must specify the amount of the security deposit, as well as the conditions of return.
• Charges: The lease must specify the charges recoverable from the tenant, as well as the amount of these charges.
• The obligations of the owner and the tenant: The lease must specify the respective obligations of the owner and the tenant, in particular with regard to maintenance and repairs.
• Specific clauses: The lease may include specific clauses, such as not subletting the property, respecting community rules, etc.

To facilitate this step, tools such as a library of legal documents can be used to ensure the legal validity of the lease.

Signature of the bond agreement

The tenant entry process includes signing a bond. Since January 1, 2022, it is possible to sign this electronically.

It is important to note that bond acts signed electronically before January 1, 2022, are considered void, so it is crucial to ensure that the signature is done in accordance with the new regulations in force since that date.

The new mandatory legal handwritten statement assumes that the deposit:

• Expressly specify its legal capacity as a guarantor;
• Undertakes to pay the creditor;
• Indicates the nature of their commitment, namely what the debtor owes to the creditor;
• Financially limit the extent of its guarantee, both in principal and in accessories (fees, penalties, and interests);
• Indicate the amount of the commitment written in full letters and numbers.

To ensure its validity, the handwritten mention of the deposits must be as follows:

I, the undersigned, undertake, as a guarantor, to pay [identity of the creditor] what he owes [identity of the debtor] in the event of default by the latter, within the limit of an amount, in principal and accessories ([specify all accessories: contractual interest, capitalized interest, legal interest, legal interest, late payment, late payment penalties, commissions, fees, increase in advance payment amount, insurance contributions, forfeiture and recovery benefits] of [amount in letters and figures].

Signing the lease

Signing the lease electronically is a common practice in the process of digitizing the tenant entry. It offers several advantages, such as the speed and simplicity of administrative procedures. However, for it to be considered valid, it must meet certain conditions.

First of all, it must be carried out using an electronic certificate that complies with current legal requirements. This certificate guarantees the authenticity of the signature and the security of the exchanges. Next, a procedure for the reliable identification of the parties must be put in place to guarantee the identity of the signatories. This can be done by using strong authentication methods, such as sending a code by SMS or verifying biometric data.

It is important to note that the electronic signature of the lease must respect the same rules of form and substance as the signature on paper. In particular, it must contain all the mandatory information provided by law, such as the amount of the rent, the duration of the lease, the procedures for reviewing the rent, the conditions for termination, etc.