Product Updates: Week 44

We just released the first-ever Live View for rental applications. You can now see when an applicant is online, watch their application get completed in real time, and help them the moment they get stuck.

Plus, when you assign a prospect to an agent, you can now hand over every property that prospect is interested in.

Here's what's new in RentEngine.

Watch applicants fill in their rental application live with Application Live View

A green dot appears next to the application group in Rental Applications, and an "Active now" badge appears on the applicant's application when they’re online.

Click Watch Live to ask the applicant to share their screen. Once they approve, you follow along in real time as they type, upload documents, and move between sections. This is shown inside a frame that matches the phone, tablet, or computer they are using. If they decline, you can ask again later.

This means that if an applicant calls because they are stuck, you can see exactly where on their screen and walk them through it.

The applicant stays in control the whole time. Until they agree, we hide everything they have typed, selected, or uploaded. They can also stop sharing at any point. We never share the ID verification camera, even after they agree. Other people on your team can join the same session without asking the applicant a second time.

Where to find it: Rental Applications > look for the green dot next to an application group > open the application > Watch Live.

Assign a prospect to one agent for all their properties

When you assign a prospect to an agent, we now ask whether to assign all of that prospect's properties to the same agent. The popup lists each of their other properties with its current status, so you can choose Assign All or Only This Property.

When you take on a lead, you usually want to look after that person from start to finish, not just one of the units they asked about. A prospect who inquired about three homes now lands with one agent in one step, instead of three separate assignments. This works in the Command Center, in Rental Applications, and in the mobile app.

Where to find it: Command Center > open a conversation > Action > Assign to User > Save. In Rental Applications, the same popup appears when you confirm an assignment.

Cancel, reschedule, or reassign a showing from your Google or Outlook calendar

Every showing on your Google or Outlook calendar now includes a Cancel, Reschedule, or Reassign link. Click it to open that showing in RentEngine with all three actions ready to go. This works for the emailed calendar invite and for the showings calendar feed you subscribe to.

Opening the link does not change the showing, only once you click an action. Showings already on your calendar will get the link once we send an updated invite for them. If you subscribe to the RentEngine Showings Calendar in Google or Outlook, they get it the next time your calendar app updates the subscription.

For an agent who runs their day from their calendar, that means moving a showing without first going to find it in the Showings Calendar.

Where to find it: your Google or Outlook calendar > open a showing event > Cancel, Reschedule, or Reassign link in the event description.

Schedule an out-of-office message for RentEngine AI

You can now schedule an out-of-office period for RentEngine AI. Choose the dates your team is away, then write instructions for how RentEngine AI should respond during that time. You do not write the exact message. Instead, you tell RentEngine AI what to say, and it puts that into its own replies to each prospect.

For example, you could tell RentEngine AI to let prospects know your team will follow up on application fee questions when you return, instead of promising that someone will be in touch soon.

If your office closes for Thanksgiving on Thursday and Friday, a prospect who texts a question on Thursday night hears that your team is back on Monday.

Where to find it: Settings > Communication > RentEngine AI > Schedule Out of Office.

Co-applicants and co-signers are now saved as their own contact type

We now save every co-applicant and co-signer as their own contact type. They no longer receive lead follow-ups or marketing texts, and your reports no longer count them as leads.

When a co-applicant texts to ask whether their application went through, RentEngine AI now answers them instead of escalating the question to your team. In the Command Center, you see them labeled as "Co-applicant (Jane Doe)," or by their phone number until the application has their name. We have also updated your existing co-applicants and co-signers, and the type is included in webhooks so you can filter on it in your own systems.

Where to find it: Command Center > the label next to the contact's name.

See a unit's status from the Command Center property list

You can now hover over any property in a prospect's details panel to see that unit's current status. This makes it easy to spot a unit that has gone on hold before you send the prospect a showing link for it.

Where to find it: Command Center > open a conversation > details panel > hover over a property in the property list.

Integrations

Sync owners and HOA details from Rentvine

If you use Rentvine and have connected your Rentvine API key, you can now sync unit owners and HOA membership into RentEngine. Both are off by default, and you turn each one on separately.

When we sync owners, we match them to the owners already in your account by Rentvine ID, email, or name, so you do not end up with duplicates. If more than one owner could be a match, we skip that owner instead of guessing. We never overwrite an owner's name or reply-to emails, and HOA flags that you or RentEngine AI set stay as they are.

Turning on Owners also starts owner leasing reports for the owners we link. So review your owner report settings before you switch it on.

Where to find it: Settings > Company > Customize Synced Fields > Owners & HOA.

Limit what each API key can access with Custom access

You can now create an API key with Custom access and choose None, Read, or Write for each type of data. It includes properties, prospects, tasks, lockboxes, calls and messages, rental applications, screening reports, reporting, and the Market Tool. Full access and Read-only keys work exactly as before, and your existing keys do not change.

A key you create for a lockbox integration can now have Write access to lockboxes and no access to anything else. So it cannot read your prospects, applications, or call recordings. To change a key's access later, revoke it and create a new one.

Where to find it: Settings > Developer > API Keys > Create New API Key > Custom.

Questions or feedback? Give us a shout via the Chat!