A PropTech startup called EVO is claiming to revolutionise repairs and maintenance in the “broken” rented housing sector.

EVO says it connects landlords, residents, and trades professionals, making the property management process more transparent and driving down costs.  The cost of property maintenance in the rental sector is valued at over £30 billion.

EVO’s co-founder Dean Shepherd says: “Service standards in the rental sector have dropped alarmingly, and nowhere is this more evident than when you look at repairs, maintenance and safety compliance.  

“We’ve all read about the horror stories, and the inherent power balance that affects up to one in five households across the UK.  

“Everyone realises the system is broken and is in need of urgent reform. At EVO, we’re deploying our technology to help fix that relationship between landlords, tenants, and trades professionals.  By doing this, we’re making housing repairs easier, faster, and fairer for everyone.”

EVO, which is raising investment through  crowdfunding, already works in partnership with a social housing provider across 20 London boroughs, with over 5,500 properties currently using the EVO Platform. 

EVO gives landlords access to detailed service histories, and the ability to track jobs in real-time.  Landlords and property managers pay a monthly subscription, while trades professionals view and can accept jobs in-app.

For residents, EVO’s platform means renters can report problems through its mobile app, leading to potentially faster turnaround times.

EVO aims to onboard over 300,000 properties by 2026, which equates to approximately three per cent of the UK market. 

EVO plans to achieve this private landlords; major letting agents and aggregators; social housing providers and large-scale property investors.