Alto, the cloud-based software for agents and part of Zoopla, has announced a new integration with Canopy, the eco-system for renters, letting agents and landlords.

As a tenant referencing partner available with Alto, Canopy will enable letting agents to receive references that blend into their Alto workflow. By centralising tenant data and documentation, property managers will be able to easily manage reference checks and see more data on an applicant –  such as previous rental history.

Through the use of open banking technology and integrations directly with ‘source’ information partners such as HRMC which are embedded within Canopy, Alto customers will be able to verify the income, rental affordability and historical rent payments of prospective tenants in 5-15 minutes, instead of waiting days and weeks. On average, 67% of Canopy users connect their open banking to the product – providing a significant opportunity for agents to save time and close their deals faster.

The application process for tenants is also enhanced thanks to Canopy’s mobile app experience – while the risk of fraud is minimised for agents at the same time.

Alto customers who benefit from the integration will also have the opportunity to boost their revenue. With CanopyEarn, agents can increase their income by recommending Canopy’s hand-picked products and services which include utility management, landlords insurance and void cover.

Riccardo Iannucci-Dawson, director of product at Alto, commented: “Like Alto, Canopy is a business with big ambitions. This is clearly demonstrated by the partnership they have built with 900 letting agencies across the UK and the over 250,000 references they have processed to date. As a highly requested integration partner, we’re extremely excited to bring them to Alto and further improve our offering for our letting agent customers as a result.”

Chris Hutchinson at Canopy added: Canopy’s CEO, Chris Hutchison, expresses his enthusiasm for the integration by stating, “This integration has been highly requested by our letting agent partners, and we are thrilled to be listening, and making it a reality for them.

“Canopy and Alto are industry leaders with technology and as such, the integration will provide best in class referencing for property agents within drastically streamlined workflows.

“Our enhanced, robust referencing is focussed on building integrations that get closer to the ‘source of information’ rather than solely relying on uploaded data, which merged with Alto’s impressive property management capabilities empowers agents to enhance their efficiency, make well-informed decisions, and ultimately provide exceptional experiences to their valued clients.”