Ringley launches white label co-working platform Busy Living By Graham Lanktree Thu 26 March 2020 Property manager Ringley is venturing into commercial proptech by launching a white label flexible office management platform called Busy Living at its new co-working space in Camden. Ringley launches cloud-based operational management platform for commercial and residential buildings

● System features cashless payments, facial recognition and MoD biometric security

● Ringley’s software platform aimed at growing trend of mixed-use buildings

● Platform allows buildings to function 24/7 without needed increased staff Residential property consultancy Ringley has launched a new operational management platform aiming to make it easier for property owners to monetise services and spaces within their buildings.

Named Busy Living, the software can be white-labelled enabling operators to brand it as they wish while also offering a customer-facing app alongside the digital back-end. The platform is sector-agnostic and can be used for any type of real estate asset where an investor needs to monetise space - from hotels and student accommodation to co-working and build-to-rent. Busy Living combines a plug-and-play cashless payment platform with biometric security features used by the Ministry of Defence. Security features include facial recognition and fingerprint scanning, which allow operators to grant access and manage spaces without 24-hour staffing, saving on costs, and allowing operators to keep spaces up even with reduced staff.

The cashless payment system will also help boost transparency over revenue flow and instant payments will reduce debt risk for both operators and tenants. Crucially, the customer-facing interface will make booking and paying for spaces or services extremely straightforward, which Ringley believes will enhance tenant loyalty and drive cashflow by enabling building amenities to be better marketed, with the ability for last minute promotions.

The technology is being tested on one of Ringley’s own assets, the 10,00 sq. ft. coworking space Camden Gateway. Although it is a fully functioning co-working scheme with 154 desks and a number of suites and offices, Camden Gateway will be the UK’s first R&D hub for build-to-rent (BTR) operators looking to commercialise on-site social spaces or run coworking hotspots within their buildings. By developing a proptech testbed in one of its own assets, Ringley is aiming to demonstrate its technology is viable and can cut costs for BTR investors and operators looking to include co-working as part of their amenity offer.

Ringley, which manages tens of thousands of homes across the country, has invested over £2m in creating a suite of technological products that look to simplify, automate and de-risk the lettings and operations of residential buildings. Providing full lifecycle consultancy, Ringley has advised a number of major BTR players in the UK market, drawing from its 20 plus years of experience in residential management and operations.

Mary-Anne Bowring, group managing director of Ringley, said: “Our new platform aims to improve transparency, reduce cost, drive revenue and above all de-risk operations. “The next-generation of buildings will merge multiple uses under one roof and what we are looking to do through our latest tech offering is to help better commercialise ‘live-work-play’ developments. “There has been a shift towards operationalised real estate and the boundaries between different asset classes are blurring. Both residential and commercial property look to the hospitality and leisure industries for inspiration and learning, which is why our new tech is adaptable and sector-agnostic.”

Graham Lanktree: Ringley launches white label co-working platform Busy Living