07 June 2023

OnTheMarket responds to agent calls for Scottish Home Reports and closing dates functionality with latest upgrades

OnTheMarket Group (“OnTheMarket” or “The Group”) has become the first major UK portal to offer a dedicated contact form for Scottish Home Reports to facilitate consumer access to them in response to requests from agents earlier this year.

When a property is sold in Scotland, a Home Report must be produced for the property prior to it coming to market. Potential buyers typically request to see the document for properties they are interested in before a viewing, making them essential for home movers.

Following feedback from agents at a Scottish Town Hall last November, a new ‘Home Report’ button has been added to the details page for all Scottish residential resale listings. This function can also be turned off for specific listings in circumstances where the document is not required. Available to all OnTheMarket agents in Scotland, the feature allows for leads to be sent to agents quickly and easily by any consumer requesting a Home Report.

Property seekers will be asked to fill in a few contact details before submitting their request for the document and a lead enquiry will then be sent to the agent via email so they can share the Home Report. Agents can also send Home Reports directly to OnTheMarket via their datafeed providing this is supported by their feed provider, or upload them via OnTheMarket Expert, so that consumers can be sent the document directly by OnTheMarket when requested. Agents will receive an email notification that a Home Report has been shared, along with contact details to follow up the lead.

In addition, closing dates and times can now be made visible on Scottish listings for sale. The new functionality allows OnTheMarket agents to upload closing dates for offers via OnTheMarket Expert or their feed, if their feed provider supports this option. Once specified, closing dates will be visible in property listing details. A countdown clock will appear on the listing 72 hours ahead of closing to notify consumers of the upcoming deadline, encouraging them to submit their offer.

In order to also support agents who let properties in Scotland who are obliged to publish their Letting Agent Registration Number (LARN) with their property listings, OnTheMarket agents can also add their LARN to their details within OnTheMarket Expert at branch level so this information can appear within the details of each of their lettings listings.

Jason Tebb, Chief Executive Officer of OnTheMarket, comments: “Since joining the business, my aim has been to listen to our agents and ensure their portal supports them in the best way possible. I’m delighted that our latest updates are yet another example of us introducing new functionality as a direct response to feedback from agents attending our Town Halls.

Being able to make closing dates visible on listings and giving consumers the chance to request and access Home Reports for listings via our portal will not only encourage more leads for our agents, but will also aid serious property seekers in making the first steps of their homebuying process more efficient.”

Ends.