This article is to help CX trouble shoot Tenancy Manger (TM), And provides answers to some expected customer queries. For general produce information, please Navigate to Tenancy Manager Knowledge Base Article.


COMING SOON - There will soon be a dedicated troubleshooting page for EM, but for now please refer to Initial Steps/ Product Access.



Initial Steps/ Product Access for both EM and TM


 If an existing Rightmove customer calls into CX saying they have purchased either of the above products and calls in with an issue, there are a few troubleshooting steps we can follow to ensure the customer is set up correctly.


Firstly a little bit about the products – Tenancy Manager and Enquiry manager are both stand alone products so agents can buy them separately or together.

For Enquiry manager they just need to have Enquiry manager in Novus and for Tenancy manger they need to have both Rightmove Tenancy Manager and Referencing in Rightmove plus as products.

 

Does the agent have the product? We can check in Site admin to see if the product has been applied.

If the agent is taking both TM and EM and it has been applied correctly it should look like this –


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If the status column says anything other than live it potentially means it has not been applied correctly. Also if there is no chargeable date this would indicate the product is not live.

 

If all looks correct in Novus we would then need to check user permissions in site admin.



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Do you need to take referencing and Tenancy Manager together?

Yes

Do you need to be a Rightmove (Group) customer to use Tenancy Manager?

Yes. These products are accessible as part of Rightmove Plus which is a tool exclusively available to Rightmove members.


Will Tenancy Manager integrate with an agent’s CRM?

No. One of the key benefits of Tenancy Manager is the ability to reduce the amount of systems an agent uses, by building it in Rightmove Plus – the same system you receive your leads.  


Can the agent use their own tenancy agreement templates?

This is not currently on our roadmap. The tenancy agreement template included has been checked by Rightmove’s legal team and will be updated whenever any changes are necessary. You can rest assured that the template has Rightmove’s stamp of approval.


What emails are sent on the agent’s behalf from Tenancy Manager?

Real-time notifications are sent via Tenancy Manager to speed up the move-in process and keep everyone informed at each stage.


Emails sent to the tenant on your behalf (co-branded with the Rightmove logo):

  • Confirmation of offer/prompt to sign Holding Deposit Explained
  • Prompt to pay holding deposit to the tenant
  • Confirmation of payment of holding deposit
  • (Optional) – Holding deposit refund/confirmation of tenancy withdrawal
  • Sharing of tenancy documents (EPC, gas safety certificate etc)
  • Prompt payment of the move-in moneys
  • Confirmation of move-in moneys received
  • Sharing of deposit protection certificate & invite to sign Prescribed Information

Confirmation emails you, the agent, receive:

  • Holding Deposit Explained document has been signed
  • Holding deposit has been paid and references have been ordered
  • References are complete/prompt to share the tenancy agreement
  • Tenancy agreement has been signed digitally
  • Confirmation of move-in moneys payment

You also have the option to include an automated email to your Landlord to confirm the details of the offer.


Can we use Tenancy Manager and still print & sign the tenancy agreement?

Tenancy Manager is designed as an end-to-end digital flow to help you speed up the process of progressing tenancies. Sending the contract for a secure digital signature is a key part of this. However, you can still print and sign the tenancy agreement the traditional way if you prefer.


Once your tenancy agreement has been created, you can click “View Contract” to see what it’s going to look like. You can download or print the contract from this screen, using the icons in the top right of the screen.

Once the printed tenancy agreement is signed, you can mark it as signed in Tenancy Manager to progress to the next stage.


How are payments processed within Tenancy Manager?

We use Open Banking technology to process payments made within Tenancy Manger. We work with Ecospend to provide this service.


Once a lead tenant has signed the Holding Deposit Explained document, they’ll be sent an automated email asking them to pay their holding deposit. When a tenant clicks the payment link, they’re prompted to securely connect to their online banking platform from a list of banks. They then authenticate and log in to their online banking account as normal, where they’re then asked to approve the payment.


Once approved, the money is transferred directly from the tenant’s account into the agent’s account. The money doesn’t pass via Rightmove or Ecospend (our open banking payment provider). In most cases it should take only a few minutes for the payment to settle in agent's account, but in some cases it can take a couple of hours or until the next day.


Can you add applicants into Tenancy Manager from other sources other than Rightmove?

Yes. You can manually add applicants into the tool.

Enhanced leads received via Rightmove will have the tenant’s information pre-populated, saving you time.


Can you progress tenancy without doing a reference? (e.g. when renewing)


There’s no way to skip referencing, but what you could do instead is cancel a reference once it gets ordered and then mark the tenant as passed referencing. That essentially would allow you to skip referencing for individuals which you don’t want to reference anymore.

  1. When tenancy moves into referencing stage, click the "..." button next to the tenant, and select "View details"
  2. In the next screen you will see a list of tenants on the left side bar, click "..." button and select "Cancel reference" for each tenant (and guarantor) in the tenancy
  3. Go back to Tenancy Overview page, and after a few minutes you will see in Tenancy Manager that the applicant failed referencing
  4. In Tenancy Manager, click on "..." button and click “Mark as passed”



How do you add a permitted occupier on Tenancy Overview page?

You can add it to “Tenants” section on Tenancy Overview page:

  • Click the edit icon
  • Click “Add a tenant”
  • Fill out their details
  • In “Type” field choose “Permitted occupier”
  • Choose if you want the permitted occupier to sign the tenancy agreement


How do I add a tenancy for a property that was not listed on Rightmove?

You can create a tenancy for any property. If you have not listed a property on Rightmove, you need to:

  • switch the toggle "Select property from list",
  • then search for the property by address
  • pick the the right property from the suggested address list (see screenshot below)


I want to change the partially/fully signed tenancy agreement - how can I do that?

To make changes to the contract, you need to re-issue a new contract. If you already have a contract that has been sent for digital signature and either partially or fully signed, you will need to cancel that contract first, then make necessary changes that you want and send a new contract for signing.

Digital contract can be cancelled either when it's still waiting for signatures, or once it's been fully signed as long as the Documents stage hasn't been completed. To cancel the contract:

  1. Open Tenancy Overview page
  2. In "Contract" stage of the tenancy, click 3 dots button (...)
  3. Select "Cancel contract"

This will take you back to the state where contract needs to be sent again.

Please note:

  • once the contract is signed, only the latest contract will be available in Documents tab of the Tenancy Overview page
  • if any subsequent stages of tenancy progression have been actioned on and Contract was cancelled, after the new contract is signed the subsequent stages will not be refreshed and re-triggered. For example, if Monies have been paid before cancelling the contract, and then a new contract is signed with different rent or deposit amounts, you will need to process the overpayment / underpayment outside of Tenancy Manager.


How do I skip digital contract signing if tenancy agreement is signed on paper?


You can mark contract as signed when you sign it on paper. To do that:

  1. Open Tenancy Overview page
  2. In "Contract" stage of the tenancy, click 3 dots button (...)
  3. Select "Mark as sent"
  4. In "Contract" stage of the tenancy, click 3 dots button (...) again
  5. Select "Mark as signed"

This will set the contract as signed.


Please note that when contract is marked as signed, it will not be sent to the tenants together with property documents (EPC, EICR, GSC) and how to rent guide.

How do I mark holding deposit as paid?


You can mark holding deposit as paid if applicants have paid it to you directly. To do so:

  1. Open Tenancy Overview page
  2. In "Holding deposit" stage of the tenancy, click 3 dots button (...) (Please note: this will be available only once the lead tenant has signed the holding deposit explained document)
  3. Select "Mark as paid"

This will set holding deposit as paid and if all tenants have signed the holding deposit explained document - complete the Holding deposit stage.


How do I mark monies as paid?

You can mark monies as paid after they have been requested from a tenant. To do so:

  1. Open Tenancy Overview page
  2. In "Monies" stage of the tenancy, click 3 dots button (...)
  3. Select "Mark as paid"

This will set monies as paid and complete the Monies stage.

How do I resend the offer email / holding deposit explained signing link?

You can resend the offer email as long as holding deposit explained document hasn't been fully signed yet. To resend it do the following:

  1. Open the tenancy overview page
  2. In the "Offer" section click the 3 dots button (...)
  3. Select and click "Resend offer"
  4. You will see an option to choose who you want the offer email to be re-sent to
  5. Select the individuals that you wish to resend the offer email to and click "Resend" button

The offer email will be re-sent to the individuals you have selected.


When is the tenancy agreement considered executed?


At the start of the tenancy progression journey – in the offer confirmation email to the tenant – there’s text that reads “The landlord’s acceptance of your offer is subject to and conditional upon you signing the holding deposit explained document, paying your holding deposit, passing referencing and paying both the tenancy deposit and 1st month’s rent.”. Therefore, the tenancy agreement is executed once all parties have signed the tenancy agreement and the tenant makes the move-in monies payment (deposit + 1st month rent).


What emails is Tenancy Manager sending if I cancel the tenancy after the holding deposit has been paid?


The email depends on the reason for cancelling, in some cases email will say that holding deposit can be refunded - in others that it can't.

These are examples of emails:

When reason for cancelling is "Landlord has pulled out":

When reason for cancelling is "Tenant(s) have pulled out":

When reason for cancelling is "Tenant(s) failed to take reasonable steps", "Tenant(s) did not pass Immigration Act 2014", or "Tenant(s) provided false or misleading information":


The email will look as below, but the content will slightly change based on the reason:

Reason
Content
"Tenant(s) failed to take reasonable steps"Despite us, as agent, and the landlord, taking all reasonable steps to enter into the tenancy agreement by the agreed date, you have failed to take all reasonable steps to enter into the tenancy before the “Deadline for Agreement” as described in the “Your Holding Deposit Explained” document.
"Tenant(s) did not pass Immigration Act 2014"You, or another “relevant occupier” are disqualified from occupying the property due to your immigration status. We, as agent, and the landlord, could not reasonably have been expected to know about this before we accepted the holding deposit.
"Tenant(s) provided false or misleading information"You gave false or misleading information to the landlord, which the landlord can take into account when deciding not to continue with your tenancy application. The false or misleading information you provided was <information that you can enter when cancelling the tenancy>.


How do I add another custom clause?


You can add additional custom clauses on Tenancy Overview page as long as the contract has not been sent for signing. To add new clauses:

  1. Scroll down to Custom clauses section
  2. Click edit button
  3. Click “Add a custom clause”
  4. Enter the wording of a clause
  5. (Repeat the steps 3-4 if needed for additional clauses)
  6. Click “Save changes” button

What does the Deposit protection email sent to tenants look like?

Email has deposit protection certificate and deposit scheme leaflet as PDF attachments, and a link to prescribed information document that needs to be signed digitally.


Why can't prescribed information be signed together with contract?


The reason why prescribed information can’t be signed together with contract is because prescribed information needs to be sent to tenant after protecting the deposit, therefore the only compliant way to do it is after deposit is paid and protected. This is clearly laid out in the legislation:


 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/34/section/213#:~:text=The%20information%20required,by%20the%20landlord.


Will I (agent) be liable if the tenant does not sign prescribed information?


There is no legal requirement for tenants to sign the document – it’s good practice, but not a requirement. From your perspective - as long as you can evidence that prescribed information (PI) has been served to the tenant – you’ve done what you’re required to do. And audit trail will evidence that it has been sent to tenants.


To encourage tenants to sign prescribed information, we’ve added wording to the email that reads as “Signing this will help avoid disputes over the return of your deposit, so you can get your money back faster at the end of your tenancy.”. Tenants will also get daily reminders to sign this document. Finally, we will be monitoring the success rate of getting PI signed, and will think of ways to improve it if it is low


Tenants are not signing Prescribed Information, can I (agent) still complete the tenancy?


Yes. If you have sent Prescribed Information document to be digitally signed, and perhaps some of the tenants are not signing it and you believe they won't sign it - you can mark Deposit protection stage as complete. To do so:

  1. Open the Tenancy Overview page
  2. Click on the "..." button on the Deposit protection stage
  3. Select "Mark as complete"


This will complete Deposit protection stage. If all other stages are complete already, it will also complete the tenancy too.



How can I terminate a tenancy?

If tenants and/or landlords decide that they don't want to roll or renew the tenancy, you can mark the tenancy as terminated by clicking "Terminate" button. This will ensure the tenancy is not going to be renewed or rolled.

Please note that Tenancy Manager does not send any emails to tenants or landlords when tenancy is set to terminated, therefore if there is any need to serve legal notices to tenants, please ensure that you serve them outside of Tenancy Manager.

Can you amend the contract once the documents stage is completed/ property is tenanted?


They would not be able to do this without the other party/parties agreeing this by signing the contract, so changes can't just be made to the existing contract. From a legal perspective this would typically mean varying the terms through a variation agreement, however, we don't have this functionality with tenancy manager.


We would therefore need a new contract to be in place. Alternatively, you can raise a request to Kostas who can look into a novation, by creating a renewal with the correct tenancy details.