FAQs
Q. What responsibility does my company have when it comes to compliance?
A. If you’re a property manager then it’s your responsibility to ensure eligible properties have the correct licenses in place. Each property must uphold the standards set out in the license conditions.
It is your responsibility to know what the requirements of the regulations are and to keep up to date with any future changes. Failure to do so can result in fines of up to £30,000, plus additional charges and loss of earnings on properties that can’t be rented out as a result.
Q. How will my business benefit from using CheckDocs?
A. CheckDocs uses property intelligence to make compliance easy for you. The relevant data from local authorities across the country are collected and checked. Our PropTech software searches for any changes to the licensing regulations and updates the data accordingly.
Amalgamated with your data sets, our system is able to identify properties that require licensing and highlight where you’re at risk. Presenting you with actionable insights that will save you time and resources. Your operation becomes more efficient so you can focus on adding value to your customer experience.
Q. What kind of businesses use CheckDocs?
A. Residential and commercial agents as well as local authorities.
Q. What risk is my business currently exposed to?
A. According to our continual research and development, compliance is a highly nuanced and complex area. Local authorities have discretionary powers. Which means the regulations are not consistently applied across the country.
This has increased the complexity of compliance which is constantly subject to change. There is a real danger that you could become uncompliant and eligible for fines of up to £30,000, unlimited costs and a potential loss of earnings.
Q. What geographical areas do you cover?
A. The data we collect includes the councils across the whole of the UK, which includes Scotland and Wales.
Q. How does CheckDocs access and connect to my Data?
A. If you have PropCo as your operating service, we can simply integrate with your data. You do not need to do anything further.A. If you have PropCo as your operating service, we can simply integrate with your data. You do not need to do anything further.If you use alternative software, we will require your data to be sent to us in a specific format which is usually in a CSV or excel format.
Q. What if I don’t have the source data that CheckDocs require?
A. That isn’t a problem. If your data sets are not in the format we require, our team can
help you enrich the data so you can access CheckDocs.
Q. Is my data safe with CheckDocs?
A. Yes. CheckDocs is GDPR compliant and all the data is processed in the UK. Any files you have sent us are immediately and permanently deleted once the data has been entered into our fully encrypted system. Security is paramount and our system is password protected with no public access.
Q. How do I access the results generated from my data?
A. The results are compiled into a report which can either be sent to you via email or viewed in our dashboard. You can contact the CheckDocs team to discuss any specific requirements.
Q. How can I access the dashboard?
A. Our team will provide all the necessary links to the dashboard. You can also access a demonstration, just get in touch with us today and we can set that up for you.
Q. How frequently are the checks completed?
A. This is entirely up to you. It will depend on the size of your portfolio and your business needs. Simply tell us how often you require the checks to be carried out and we will set everything up for you.
Q. How frequently are the dashboards updated?
A. We provide weekly and monthly updates but can deliver whatever you require.
Q. Can I get the Dashboard as per my needs?
A. Yes. The first thing we do is understand your requirements. You may only need the standard dashboard but if customisation is needed, we can do that so you can access the information you require.
Q. How do I sign up?
A. Just contact us today on 01926 343818 or fill in one of our enquiry forms and we’ll be in touch.
Q. What kind of information can I expect from the dashboard?
A. There is a range of information available through our dashboard. It’s provided in a summary format and you can drill down into the detail you require around specific areas. The type of information available includes:
Total number of properties including management types, local authority and branch
- Identification of individual properties that do not have HMO licenses
- A risk analysis to quantify your compliance obligations i.e. low risk, potential risk, at-risk or licence not required
- The least and most affected areas in terms of risk assessment
- Actions you need to take to become compliant
Q. How does CheckDocs know about the latest regulation in place?
A. The AI we deploy will frequently check for any updates across the local authority sites. This information is used to update against your individual properties.
Q. How does CheckDocs identify the household count?
A. This is derived from the name in your portfolio that you have provided us with.
Q. What are the different status types that CheckDocs reports on?
A. There are a number of status flags:
- Low risk – the requirement for a license is not clear
- Potential risk – reasonably sure that a license is required
- At-risk – the property definitely requires a license
- Property Licensed – the property already has the required license
- License not required – the property does not need a license
- Exception – the essential property details are not available from your data
Q. What sort of information can I expect from the dashboard?
A. The dashboard will provide you with a range of information which will include:
- At Branch level the total number of properties without EPC
- The EPC rating against each property
- The EPCs that are about to expire
Q. How do I get the information to confirm my advertised property has an EPC?
A. The AI we deploy will scan all the websites where the property is advertised. This information is gathered by our system and presented back to you showing which properties do not have any EPC information.
Q. How will I know if the EPC certificate in my system is genuine for each property?
A. Our AI will scan each property in the portfolio and check the EPC certificates to establish if they are genuine.