The former operations director at Purplebricks says he is waiving fees for letting agents who want to join his new online franchise operation, called Accommodation.co.uk.

The usual £4,995 start-up fee is being waived, according to Howard Russell, who says: “We feel for all those whose jobs have been lost as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic and as such we offer them a free franchise and territory, subject to availability.

“The platform removes a lot of the ‘heavy lifting’ while centralised property management, marketing, design, accounts, legal and technology teams will be on hand to support people as they grow their lettings business.”

The company says it’s presenting “a first of its kind franchise offering” and a custom-built platform promising to ”streamline and automate administrative tasks” for landlords and tenants. 

Agents take home 100 per cent of the let fees.

Through the platform, tenants can find properties and arrange a viewing, make an offer on a property, complete the referencing, including wage verification and a credit check – all in 10 minutes, pledges the firm. 

Successful tenants will be able to sign the tenancy agreement and make a deposit payment. After move in, tenants can access a dashboard where they can report maintenance problems and communicate with their landlord.

Landlords can opt for full property management or a let only option.