5 mins

The financial benefits of Key for Property Owners

Alison Simpson
June 9, 2022
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Creating a world of prosperity for Property Owners as well as Owner-Residents.

The inaccessibility of homeownership is a significant and growing global issue that needs to be addressed and innovation is central to fixing it. That’s why we started Key – developing the world’s first all-digital, on-demand homeownership platform to create a third, hybrid option beyond homeownership or renting. Our mission is to make it possible for everyone to prosper from real estate. We do that by empowering Property Owners to offer a better way into homeownership for consumers.

Key’s Homeownership-as-a-Service (HaaS) technology enables configurable co-ownership programs that turn renters into partners with aligned incentives, while helping Property Owners achieve up to 10% higher net operating income over time.

So how does Key’s Homeownership-as-a-Service (HaaS) work?

Key’s co-ownership model makes homeownership accessible without aspiring homeowners needing to qualify for a mortgage or save for the typical 20% down payment.

We partner with Property Owners and investors to offer their homes of all types including suites in premiere buildings. Residents contribute equity with an initial minimum deposit and then incremental deposits monthly and ad hoc. Monthly residency payments are comparable to a robust market rent. Our co-owners’ investments grow together as the real estate appreciates.

We make the experience of co-ownership seamless for Property Owners and residents with our app. Residents can browse available suites, apply for co-ownership, make equity investments, get insurance, and more all in one place. The entire process is so streamlined that we had a prospective Owner-Resident sign up from her parked car in 15 minutes! For property owners, Key’s digital platform handles tenant background and credit checks, monthly payments, property management and asset reporting, seamlessly.

We’ve created strong consumer demand for Key, with a standing waitlist that far exceeds available inventory. During our last inventory launch, 55% of the suites sold within 48 hours.

So how does this benefit Property Owners?

Key helps Property Owners achieve up to 10% higher returns by delivering value in five important ways:

  1. Better residents who act like owners, and who don’t miss residency payments (you’ll have at least 7 months of payments on account)
  2. Lower vacancy rate
  3. Lower turnover rate, and lower cost of turnover
  4. Shared repair & maintenance costs
  5. Incremental liquidity

Even in a global pandemic, Key delivered exceptional results.

The pandemic created a challenging reality for many Property Owners, leaving thousands of condos vacant across major cities and adding income instability and stress to Property Owners managing a portfolio of residential properties. Tighter lending criteria and higher interest rates on mortgage loans are making it even more challenging to manage costs, so Key’s ability to lower vacancy and turnover, as well as the cost of turnover, helps bring much-needed stability and less stress to Property Owners.

While the pandemic was costly for many Property Owners, Key made it profitable and stress-free for a private Condominium REIT in Ontario who turned to us for help.

By partnering with Key for their condo portfolio in downtown Toronto, a high number of vacancies were filled in a matter of weeks and without inducements like free rent, which were very common at the time.

Key filled the suites with aspiring owners in record time, the fastest being a mere 23 days from first seeing a Key ad on Instagram to living in their new home. We also built a standing waitlist with six times more pre-approved leads than available inventory. Key took on responsibility for property management for the REIT which simplified their business and delivered increased efficiencies.

The REIT’s decision to have Key manage their portfolio of suites in five buildings across Toronto led to an increased net operating income of 1o% for them. Clearly a smart and profitable move.

If you’re a Property Owner who’s interested in Key’s offering, you can learn more by visiting our property owners page here, or book a call with me here.

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