Case Study: Faster checks with John German Estate Agents
John German Estate Agents has been selling, letting, and valuing homes since the nineteenth century. Still independently owned, it has established itself as one of the most trusted estate agents in the Midlands.
To find out more about how Checkboard is helping this venerable institution adapt to the modern property market, we spoke to Operations Director Elaine Chamberlain and Director and MLRO Phill Sandbach.
The challenge: Slow checks, high fees
John German’s challenge was a familiar one: slow, manual onboarding.
The firm was performing all its compliance checks in-person, requiring clients to come to the office armed with passports, bank statements, and household bills.
It was slow, onerous, and as with any paperwork of a sensitive nature, potentially insecure.
On top of that, clients would often be going back and forth trying to find the right proof of address, slowing the process even further.
“There’s a fairly restrictive list of what documents we’re allowed to take,” said Phill Sandbach. “We used to get bus passes, library cards – anything but the correct documentation.”
Moreover, John German faced a growing list of compliance fees, including registration fees levied by HMRC and increased charges for access to HM Land Registry (HMLR) records. And with new material information rules, that HMLR documentation was required for every new property put on the market.
“They might only be relatively small amounts per transaction, but they all add to the cost of putting a property on the market,” said Elaine Chamberlain. “At the end of the day a client could simply change their mind about moving without any financial penalty.”
The solution: One-stop verification
John German’s existing technology solution did enough to raise red flags or identify politically exposed persons (PEPs), but it was unable to conduct digital checks, leaving the firm reliant on in-person verification.
The firm identified a clear need for more thorough digitalisation. It wanted something faster and more efficient, and in particular something that enabled more secure biometric ID checks.
That’s where Checkboard came in. “Checkboard appeared to be a fairly comprehensive one-stop solution to AML,” explained Phill. “You could do the ID check, the PEP check, the sanctions check, and then all the proof of funds as well, which we find is invaluable for us in saving time.”
Phill also saw digitalisation as a reputational boost. “We always want to be paperless, and we want to be seen as a digitally aware business. So, wherever we can, we want to embrace modern technology.”
Beyond that, John German also appreciated the level of support and training Checkboard provided. According to Elaine, “the onboarding process was good. We’ve had user guides in the form of PDF documents, we’ve got videos, and the support team always respond very quickly.”
The impact: Simple and streamlined checks
Checkboard’s fast, digital onboarding has significantly reduced the time it takes John German to complete its compliance checks from days to hours. Rather than waiting for clients to go back and forth looking for their ID documents and mortgage statements, it has allowed them to quickly upload them at the touch of a button.
And the proof is in the pudding: as of writing, John German conducts more than 80% of its checks using Checkboard.
Despite teething problems among some clients, Elaine is confident in Checkboard’s impact: “I think clients have come to the realisation that it’s much simpler and more streamlined to do a check through Checkboard, than making a special journey to the office and spending half an hour going through all their paperwork.”
Importantly, it still provides a manual option for those clients struggling with a digital platform, but the remainder – the vast majority – are performed speedily, efficiently, and entirely digitally.
Furthermore, John German can now request upfront payments through the Checkboard app ahead of every check. This has helped improve its cashflow, but more importantly it has reduced the burden of the various charges levied by HMRC and HMLR against estate agents, making life easier for its accounts team.
“Checkboard, in enabling payments, was an absolute godsend. It’s really helped that it can be done through the app,” said Elaine.
And with ongoing monitoring of PEPs and sanctions in its toolkit, Checkboard has helped John German stay secure and compliant much faster and more efficiently than it ever was with manual, in-person checks.
Interested in finding out how Checkboard can help your firm? Get in touch today.
