Rental Management System

Services offered by owners that are relevant to the business of rentals.
e-richard
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Rental Management System

Post by e-richard »

Resurrecting a long 4 page thread from last year:
I have, at last, made some progress with a home-grown system that I believe is very adaptable to differing owner scenarios.

This project arose as an idea from the above thread, was kick started when Brooke (Vrooje) very kindly sent me her source code and I wanted to learn how to write this sort of stuff for the web. With further acknowledgements to Juan (Mon269), who helped me understand what mySQL actually did, I started completely from scratch, and now have something worth playing with.

Its only available on-line at this stage, and I have a limited number of user-slots for access. If you'd like to take it for a test drive, are prepared to commit at least half an hour and give me feedback, I'll be happy to work with you and develop it further to suit everyone's needs.

To make a start, please just send me a PM with your real name and email address. I must have both please !

So, what is it ?
Very briefly, I make no claims that its "better" than any of the other systems available. Its just different - and it suits me. Here is a summary:
PIMS – Rental Property Management System
Your on-line Personal Assistant

This is a system for helping a rental property owner (like me) manage the process of:

Taking enquiries, tracking where they came from to measure the effectiveness of different advertising sources.
For managing enquiries, it will help you
• To respond accurately, safely and with confidence to all enquiries, knowing that all records are up to date and that you will be quoting accurate prices automatically computed, based on any combination of guest requirements and your rules.

When the enquiry converts to a booking, the system will help you:
• Manage all the various tasks that happen along the way, including among many other things:
- help to generate personalised emails
- tracking payments received, with reminders as needed
• Ensure that you do no forget to do something
• Ensure that you do not double book or even take overlapping enquiries !
• Ensure that all the requirements from the guest are met in time
• Display up to date availability calendar, which can optionally be embedded in your own website, customized to your own look n feel and automatically updated.

All of these capabilities are highly customizable and adaptable to your business model and your way of working with customers.

It will not:
• Take bookings or payments directly from your customers. Your customers have no direct access to the system except insofar as you can link your website enquiry form or on-line booking for to this management system to save you entering any data twice.
• Replace good book keeping for tax purposes (it does not keep track of any costs, but it will summarise all your income)
** Richard
PIMS: Holiday Rental Management system
They say we learn from our mistakes. That makes me a genius !
Nightowl
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Post by Nightowl »

sounds brilliant! In fact me and my hub were talking not so long ago about this very subject - and saying that it would have to be designed by an 'insider' who knows what they want from the system.

He was already dreaming of how to spend his millions, having come up with the all singing all dancing version and sold it to all on LMH! (dreaming being the operative word as that's about as far as either of us got with concept/design etc... we just went to the pub and had another beer and it fell off the radar ). Great idea! If it works, I'd be interested in buying it...
Nightowl
Forever going one step forwards and two
backwards......
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vrooje
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Location: Burgundy, France

Post by vrooje »

Having just started testing this system, I definitely recommend it. The system already beats anything available, as far as I can tell, and it's just going to get better. My suggestion would be to get in on the ground floor! :)

(And don't worry, I didn't write any of this code, so it's an unsolicited testimonial.)
Brooke
Hells Bells
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Post by Hells Bells »

Not for me, as I can't link it to my online calendar for automatic booking, but good luck with it.
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Rocket Rab
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Post by Rocket Rab »

Hi all,

I'm currently test-driving Richard's system, first impressions are really good. This is a seriously well thought-out bit of kit. Everything you need, at your fingertips, to manage your property/properties.

Definitely worth a look....

RR
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

Rocket Rab wrote:Hi all,

I'm currently test-driving Richard's system, first impressions are really good. This is a seriously well thought-out bit of kit. Everything you need, at your fingertips, to manage your property/properties.

Definitely worth a look....

RR
I second what RR said - it very impressive, not only for the booking management side of things, also the historical recording bookings, referral sites, etc. Excellent!
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cottageguru
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Post by cottageguru »

There's a mega market out here in Canada if this is a good product. Sounds like it is from the feedback.
Heather

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ravetildon
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info

Post by ravetildon »

Any links to it or screen shots?
e-richard
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Re: info

Post by e-richard »

ravetildon wrote:Any links to it or screen shots?
Still haven't got around to this, but if you PM me with an email address, I can give you a "guest" login to the real system.
** Richard
PIMS: Holiday Rental Management system
They say we learn from our mistakes. That makes me a genius !
ravetildon
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yo

Post by ravetildon »

pm'd
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Giddy Goat
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Post by Giddy Goat »

I am only using the Lite version of PIMS, since we have a single property and in addition, I like to have some of the rental info documented in hard copy form. (I still use cheques too, when I can get away with them! :oops:) Nevertheless, I couldn't do without it.

So many people here subscribe to the system now. Extremely convenient and user friendly, intuitive and reasonably priced. We've had a lot of new joiners since the last entry on this thread so anyone who has recently arrived on the scene, check it out. (I have no financial interest!)

EDITED: I see that Richard has modestly omitted to provide a proper link to his site so here it is!
Last edited by Giddy Goat on Wed Jan 18, 2012 5:22 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
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kendalcottages
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Post by kendalcottages »

Hear, hear GG. :)
Kendal Holiday Cottages Ltd., Kendal, Cumbria - between the Lake District & the Yorkshire Dales.
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Nemo
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Post by Nemo »

Seconded or thirded or whatever! :lol:

Currently using PIMS standard, but want to upgrade to Gold. Just no point doing so until I have my new website and then want to integrate forms etc. I have two properties and couldn't cope without it.
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Windy
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Post by Windy »

Fourthed - I use the Gold version as I have 4 units and the integration of forms into my websites (and as of today into my Facebook page :shock: ) ) keeps me sane, saves me hours a week and is worth every penny.

There are inevitably a couple of things I wish it did slightly differently or at all, but it is an amazingly good attempt at covering the multiple bases we have between us here and Richard's support is the best I have ever received for a software product.

If it works with your business model I wouldn't hesitate to give it a try.
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cambalala
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Post by cambalala »

Hi e-richard.

Was just looking at the pims site and after reading lmh threads and looking at your site I can't really tell if instand online bookings are catered for or not my your system. (Which looks better than ever by the way.)

Do you integrate with paypal at all? - for online booking deposits?
Or do all reservations have to be approved first?

Also. Is the database etc hosted by you? Or is it like a script that can be purchased and installed on the customers isp?

Many thanks.
Raymond.
www.cambalala.com - 3D Virtual Tour
Website On: Wordpress.
Booking Software: PIMS) - Yay!
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