Renters News - iPhone App to Help Apartment Hunters Work Out the "Real" Cost of Renting
LiciX has announced the the release of Smart Renter Lite and Smart Renter Pro, 2 iPhone applications designed to assist busy apartment hunters work out the "real" cost of renting on the go when viewing properties.
London, United Kingdom, October 17, 2011 --(PR.com)-- As energy prices and commuting costs in major cities such as London, New York and Sydney continue to skyrocket unabated, flat hunters and tenants are increasing looking beyond the headline rent figure when searching for the most affordable home.
For example in London, all 6 major energy companies have increased their prices of gas by an average of 17.4% and 10.8% for electricity over the course of 2011, bringing the average annual household bill above £1000. At the same time, Transport for London confirmed that tube and bus fares are set to rise by a further 7% in 2012.
In response, an app developer from London has developed the first iPhone app to help flat hunters grapple with the ‘real’ cost of renting and therefore identify ways to save money.
Smart Renter Pro app allows users to create profiles on the go when viewing flats, noting rent related costs such as utilities, commute costs, agent’s fees, Internet, council tax, annual professional cleaning, etc. The app then crunches the numbers along with the base rent and number of sharers to arrive at the user’s ‘real’ cost of renting per month. Users can then quickly compare profiles on their smartphone without the need to create complicated spreadsheets at home.
“Every year when I go flat hunting, it’s a time consuming and painful process to work out which flat actually provides best value for money, especially when some rooms are in high council tax areas, some cover bills but not gas and electricity, etc.,” says John Hsu, the developer of the app. “We hope our app will help flat hunters organise information efficiently and find a place best suited to their financial circumstances.”
If the user does not know the likely cost of electricity and gas, the app estimates average costs based on the number of bedrooms and sharers in the property. Data is based on London and is collected from public sources.
The app also allows its users to quickly locate profiles on a map, create rent reminders, share photos and notes via twitter, Facebook and generate PDF reports comparing up to three profiles which can then be sent via email. This is designed for situations when friends team up to find an flat but not all can be present at the viewing.
Smart Renter Pro app for iPhone and iPod Touch is available on the Apple iTunes store. A lite version with less functionality is also available for free. (www.smart-renter.com).
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For example in London, all 6 major energy companies have increased their prices of gas by an average of 17.4% and 10.8% for electricity over the course of 2011, bringing the average annual household bill above £1000. At the same time, Transport for London confirmed that tube and bus fares are set to rise by a further 7% in 2012.
In response, an app developer from London has developed the first iPhone app to help flat hunters grapple with the ‘real’ cost of renting and therefore identify ways to save money.
Smart Renter Pro app allows users to create profiles on the go when viewing flats, noting rent related costs such as utilities, commute costs, agent’s fees, Internet, council tax, annual professional cleaning, etc. The app then crunches the numbers along with the base rent and number of sharers to arrive at the user’s ‘real’ cost of renting per month. Users can then quickly compare profiles on their smartphone without the need to create complicated spreadsheets at home.
“Every year when I go flat hunting, it’s a time consuming and painful process to work out which flat actually provides best value for money, especially when some rooms are in high council tax areas, some cover bills but not gas and electricity, etc.,” says John Hsu, the developer of the app. “We hope our app will help flat hunters organise information efficiently and find a place best suited to their financial circumstances.”
If the user does not know the likely cost of electricity and gas, the app estimates average costs based on the number of bedrooms and sharers in the property. Data is based on London and is collected from public sources.
The app also allows its users to quickly locate profiles on a map, create rent reminders, share photos and notes via twitter, Facebook and generate PDF reports comparing up to three profiles which can then be sent via email. This is designed for situations when friends team up to find an flat but not all can be present at the viewing.
Smart Renter Pro app for iPhone and iPod Touch is available on the Apple iTunes store. A lite version with less functionality is also available for free. (www.smart-renter.com).
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Contact
LiciX
John Hsu
+442075154316
smart-renter.com
John Hsu
+442075154316
smart-renter.com
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