SMART Inventory Release Notes

Transcription

1 SMART Inventory Release Notes February 2011 etech Technical Support Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm:

2 2 SMART Inventory Release Notes Introduction We are pleases to announce a new Release of SMART Inventory. The new Release contains a number of features that are aimed at improving the quality of the Inventory Report. We have also included a new function to enable you to offer an additional Check-in service to your Letting Agent clients. Performing a software update 1) It is preferable to connect your PDA to you PC or to your Wi-Fi network if your phone signal is poor before updating SMART. 2) From the SMART Inventory main menu select Options then select Update (Fig.1 and 2). 3) Tap Check Now as circled red in Fig. 3. Fig.1 Fig.2 Fig.3 4) If an update is available, you will be prompted as in Fig 4. If you are on the current version of the software, a green tick will display in the middle of the screen. If an update is available, tap OK (circled red) to start downloading the new Release (Fig. 5). Fig. 4 Update available prompt Fig. 5 Software update in progress 5) When all files have downloaded and the bottom progress bar is at 100%, tap Close. The software update is now complete and you can restart SMART Inventory.

3 3 SMART Inventory Release Notes New Check-in functionality The Release contains a new facility to enable you to undertake the Check-in process with the Tenant in the property using the PDA. As you will be aware, the Check-in process involves walking a new tenant through a property to check they agree with the description of any defects that are noted in your Inventory Report, together with items of Fixtures and Fittings that you have listed. While this task is typically done by the Letting Agent using a printed copy of the SMART Inventory report, more and more of our clients are being asked by their Letting Agent clients to prepare the Inventory and conduct the Check-in of the Tenant. Previously, the only practical option for you to check-in a tenant was to use a printed copy of the SMART Inventory report. This invariably meant two trips to the property one to compile the In-going Inventory on the PDA and a separate visit to meet the tenant at site with a printed report. The new feature in SMART Inventory enables you to schedule your In-going Inventory, leaving sufficient time to undertake the Inventory before the Tenant arrives for the Check-in process. The PDA now presents the Inventory Clerk with a summary of all the defects and items of Fixtures and Fittings listed in a room on a single screen of the PDA. This enables the Inventory Clerk to easily walk and talk the Tenant through the content of the Inventory Report on the PDA. If additional defect are highlighted by the Tenant, these can be added in the normal way. When the contents and condition of the room have been checked and agreed with the Tenant, it can be marked as Reviewed. We have also developed a new Inventory Web Link that is generated on the PDA when you undertake an In-going Inventory. The Web Link is a web-address which gives access to a copy of the Inventory Report on-line. When you have finished the check-in process, you can present the Tenant with a new Declaration Signature Page we have drafted. You write the Inventory Web Link on the Declaration Signature Page which is signed by the Tenant. By signing the Declaration Signature Page, the Tenant is acknowledging that they have been walked through the Check-in by you and that they can gain access to the full Inventory report on-line. You are prompted to take a photographed of the Declaration Signature Page with the PDA, which is included at the back of the In-going Inventory Report. You can hand the Declaration Signature Page to the Tenant with the Web Link written on it, or keep the signed Declaration Signature Page and write the Web Link address on a separate piece of paper for the Tenant to keep. If you wish to undertake the Tenant Check-in, first prepare the In-going Inventory. When the Tenant joins you at the the Property, tap the Tenant Check-in section shown in Fig.1 below and answer Yes to Fig.2. You will now be presented with a traffic light for each room. Tap into the room you are currently reviewing with the Tenant.

4 4 SMART Inventory Release Notes Fig.1 Fig.2 Fig.3 The PDA now displays all the defects recorded against each element in the room (Fig.4). You can also view the description of the elements as well as the defects by tapping on the + icon, circled red in Fig. 5 below. To shrink the list back to just the defects, tap the - icon circled red in Fig. 6. Fig.4 Fig.5 Fig.6 By scrolling down the screen you can review a list of the Contents Fixture & Fittings ( CF&F ), together with any defects you have recorded against these. If the Tenant spots a defect or an item of CF&F that you haven t recorded, go back into the main Traffic Light menu, select the room you are in, and add the additional defect or item of CF&F. When you and the Tenant are happy that the PDA reflects the condition and contents of the room, tap the Please Tap When Reviewed button at the bottom of

5 5 SMART Inventory Release Notes the screen (Fig. 7). The button will now display a green tick (Fig. 8). Tap Next and you return to the list of rooms in Fig. 9. Fig.7 Fig.8 Fig.9 When you have reviewed all the room with the Tenant, you can obtain and photograph the Tenant(s) signature on a Tenants Declaration Page. You can devise your own Tenants Declaration Page, but we have set out below some suggested wording. Please be aware that you and your client, and not etech, are responsible for assessing the effectiveness of any Tenants Declaration wording you may wish to adopt. You can obtain the details for the Web-link required to complete the Tenants Declaration Page by tapping on the section headed Inventory Web Link, circled in Fig. 9. Fig.10 Fig.8 Fig.9

6 6 SMART Inventory Release Notes This displays the full web-link, as shown in Fig.10. Write the two numeric reference numbers on the Tenants Declaration Page (these are shown in red in the example below) and obtain the Tenant(s) signatures on the Tenants Declaration Page. Now photograph the signed Tenants Declaration Page using the Tenant Signature Photo button, shown at the bottom of the screen in Fig.9. The photograph of the signed Tenants Declaration Page will now be included as an image at the back of the Inventory Report in place of the usual signature page. A Word copy of the Tenant Signature Declaration below will be available on the etech Portal. Joe Bloggs Inventory Clerk Ltd 2 Short Street Lampton (the Inventory Clerk ) Tenants Signature Declaration - Version 1.1 Property Address....(the Property ) Date of Tenant Check-in..... (the Check-in Date ) Tenant(s) present at Check-in 1 Signature Print Name... 2 Signature Print Name... 3 Signature Print Name... 4 Signature Print Name... 5 Signature Print Name... 6 Signature Print Name... (together the Tenant(s) ) By signing this Declaration, the Tenant(s) hereby confirm the flowing: The Inventory Clerk has reviewed and agreed with the Tenant(s) the extent of the Property s contents, fixtures and fittings together with any defects in the condition of the Property. The Property s contents, fixtures and fittings together with any defects in the condition of the Property will be recorded in the Inventory of Condition relating the Property ( the Inventory ) The Tenant(s) can access a copy of the Inventory online at the following address web address: [In addition, a printed copy of the Inventory will be sent to the Tenant(s) within 2 working days of the Check-in Date.] In the event that omissions or errors in the Inventory are identified by the Tenant(s), or the Tenant(s) disagree with the description of defects to the Property in the Inventory, the Tenant(s) hereby agree to notify the appointed Letting Agent of the Property of such changes or variations within 7 days of the Check-in Date. If the Tenant(s) provides no additional changes or variations to the Inventory, the Tenant(s) hereby agrees that the Inventory will be deemed to comprise a fair and accurate schedule of the condition and contents of the Property as at the Check-in Date.

7 7 SMART Inventory Release Notes New defect and extent lists Sometimes, small changes to our software can make a big difference this is one of them! On previous versions of SMART Inventory, you were presented with the same list of defects, extents and locations, irrespective of whether you were recording details of a Door or a Floor. We have now split out the lists of defects so that they are each tailored to the elements of Doors, Walls, Floors & Ceilings and Windows. You can see below the different types of defects that are now presented for Floors and Doors: In addition, we have added the ability to record against each item the defect, its extent and one or more locations. What s more, the list of locations is now also tailored to the elements of Doors, Walls, Floors & Ceilings and Windows. You can see below the different types of locations that are now presented for Floors and Doors:

8 8 SMART Inventory Release Notes This has a big impact on the level of detail you can record on a defect. As an example, on the previous version you could have recorded: Door finish - marked (in places) In the new version, you can now record: Door finish - marked (extensively), to the leading edge of the door, around the handle. The last additional benefit of this new feature is that when you add a Describe item to the list of defects, extents or locations for an element, that Describe item is saved against the defect, extent or location for that element. This means that in time you can build up your own tailored lists of defects, extents and locations separately for Doors, Walls, Floor & Ceilings and Fixtures, Fittings and Content. Stand-alone Out-going Inventory Report We have added the ability to undertake an Out-going Inventory Report on the PDA without having to first undertake an In-going Inventory on the PDA. This is useful where, for example, you are handed a manually typed-up Inventory from another company, and asked to create a Check-out or Out-going Inventory from that document. When you start a new Out-going Inventory on the PDA, you will now be given the following prompt: If you have been given a manual typed-up Inventory and asked to create a Check-out Inventory, simply select New Out-going Inventory on the screen above. If you ve already created the original In-going Inventory using SMART Inventory, select Create an Out-going Inventory from an In-going SMART Inventory on the screen above

9 9 SMART Inventory Release Notes New Defect Report We have responded to a request from some SMART Inventory users and launched a new Defect Report. This is a document that is created alongside either an In-going or Outgoing Inventory and simply provides a list of all the defects that have been identified in each room in the Inventory report. The Defect Report generates as a PDF. However, the text can be highlighted in the PDF and copied into a word document by your client if they wish. This can be invaluable for a Letting Agent who is compiling a list of defects from the Inventory for use in written correspondence with a Tenant for example. If your client requests a Defect Report, you can access it from the Defect Report tab on your SMART Portal account, as circled red below New Report Editing Function In order to make it easier to top and tail your SMART Inventory Reports, we have included the ability to create a Rich Text Format (RTF) version of the Inventory. RTF is a special document format that provides limited editing of the text in the Inventory Report. The RTF document is designed to make it easier to top and tail typos etc. If you need to make other changes to the Inventory Report, you should still make these on the PDA and re-submit the Inventory, or by adding photos via the SMART Portal. To obtain an RTF copy of an Inventory, tap on the Export as RTF button on your SMART Portal account. This located above the Defect Report button as circled red in the image above. Remember that any changes you make to an RTF document will not be reflected on the PDA when you come to undertake the next In-going or Out-going Inventory, so please only use this facility to make minor tweaks and changes to an Inventory. You can save an RTF document as a PDF and provide it to your clients in the normal way.

10 10 SMART Inventory Release Notes Minor changes to PDA content You ll notice a few minor changes in some of the PDA screens, including the following: 1. Contents Fixtures and Fittings You can now record a serial number for an appliance, in addition to its colour and manufacturer s name. 2. Cleanliness We have added the ability to record whether windows have been cleaned both internally and externally and to record the state of maintenance of the garden. 3. Floor levels Where you record that the property is a flat, we previously prompted for a floor level with a numeric keyboard to record the floor. We have changed this to a descriptive list which now includes: Basement Cellar Lower ground Ground Raised ground First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Attic Room in roof