The birth of Tenant Connect: Our founder’s vision to transform property inspections

At the heart of our ground-breaking remote property inspection app lies Tim’s journey as a self-managing landlord… which might look very similar to yours.

Tim Morris, Founder and Chief Innovator, Tenant Connect.

The journey to self-management

Since the early 2010s, Tim faced the complexities of traditional property management as a Sydney property investor. “We bought a unit in Neutral Bay that we wanted to lease. There was a time when I didn’t even know that self-managing was an option. Working with different property managers, I remember always thinking that I could surely do all these things myself… and even do them better. So, I started researching ways to self-manage.”  

This journey to becoming a self-managing landlord included him acquiring the property management platform RentingSmart in 2017. He has since dedicated himself to offering a more streamlined, intuitive and simple way for landlords to self-manage their properties. 

But something was still bugging him: Property inspections remained one of his least favourite parts of property management.

Why were property inspections still so problematic?

Arranging an inspection that suited him and his tenants was a logistical nightmare. And, since moving to a rural town outside of Sydney, driving into the city was frustrating, expensive and time-consuming.

He always had a hunch that his tenants didn’t like having him in their private space, too. 

So, Tim decided to reach out to some of his RentingSmart customers for a sanity check. “Turns out, so many of our RentingSmart users shared my sentiments. Some of them used some kinds of property inspection platforms to help them arrange and conduct inspections.

“I soon learned that too many self-managing landlords skip ongoing inspections because they just can’t be bothered to go through the hassle, and the ever-growing pile of unorganised paperwork adds to the frustration. I’ve also been guilty of doing that. And sadly, this means that you’re neglecting your costly investment! I knew something had to be done.”

So, he mapped out every tiny frustration and inspection requirement and devised a practical plan. He engaged one of the best software development teams to package his vision into the one app set to solve all your property inspection hassles. 

More than two years after the idea sprouted, Tenant Connect was born out of Tim’s dedication to innovation and problem-solving. Using his decades of IT and product development expertise, he created an app that effectively addresses the challenges landlords, property managers and tenants face. His WHY has always been very clear.

Tim was committed to changing the status quo. His obsession with creating a solution that enhances efficiency for him and his fellow self-managing landlords, respects privacy, and eliminates the hassle of traditional inspections is at the core of Tenant Connect. 

Tenant Connect is not just an app; it reflects Tim’s dream to provide an alternative inspection solution that empowers landlords and property managers while making the inspection process a joy for tenants.

For the last two and a half years, Tim skipped many Saturdays on the golf course and worked late nights to create an app that will soon bring you:

• Simplicity and efficiency when scheduling and conducting property inspections
• An inspection tool for both remote and on-site inspections
• Automated report generation that puts hours back into your day
• More trees and happy bees thanks to our paperless approach
• Increased health due to the remote nature of the app
• A happier environment and lower anxiety levels thanks to less time spent driving 
• A happier wallet through significant cost savings
• A more organised you through automated historic alerts in each inspection
• Happy tenants! 

We’ll not just be offering an app. We’re offering a piece of Tim’s dream – a future where property inspections are efficient, safe, and user-friendly. 

Get on the list to be the first to know once the app is ready for download, or contact us if you have any questions about Tenant Connect.

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