Tony Gilbert has worked in estate agency since 1987, and in lettings since 2009. For much of that time he worked in corporate firms where software was chosen at head office, often for reasons that had little to do with what worked best in the branch.

At Gould Harrison in Ashford, Kent, Tony makes that call himself, and he holds every system to the same three tests. How much time will it save? How good is the finished report? And does it justify what landlords pay for an inventory or a mid-term inspection? Across the agency's 200 managed properties, Wooma passes all three.

The problem: a platform that had stopped moving

Gould Harrison's previous platform had been in place for years, and it hadn't kept pace with the business. Reports were built almost entirely from dropdown menus, with a handful of fixed phrases to describe a property's condition and little room to record what was actually there.

Photos were compressed into small, low-resolution thumbnails that couldn't be opened up in any detail. For an agency that might one day need to rely on those images in a dilapidations claim, that was a real risk.

The platform itself wasn't developing either. A new version had been promised for some time without arriving, and the agency was paying a monthly fee simply to store its old reports.

The switch: bringing the team, and the history, along

Changing systems meant asking a long-serving team to let go of a platform they knew well, and the initial reaction was one many agents will recognise. Tony's view was clear: just because something has always been done one way doesn't make it right, and as the business evolves, its tools need to evolve with it.

Wooma Vault moved the agency's historical records across from the old platform, and Tony checked them himself to confirm everything had arrived intact. With the archive now in Wooma, the old storage fees went too.

That history is now part of the day-to-day work rather than locked away. Property managers can open a previous report on their phone during a new inspection and compare each room against how it was last recorded, even if that earlier report was produced on a different platform.

The solution: tailored to how the agency works

For Tony, the biggest difference between Wooma and the rest of the market is that it's built around the agent, not the other way round.

Wooma's AI image scanning produces accurate condition descriptions in seconds, which means the schedule of condition, the part of an inventory that matters most, is consistently thorough whoever carries out the visit. And despite describing himself as far from a technical person, Tony found Wooma straightforward from the start.

The results: half the time, and finished on site

Compared with the previous platform, Gould Harrison now completes inventories in around half the time. Just as important, the work is finished on site. Nobody heads back to the office to sit at a computer and type up notes. The report is complete before the property manager moves on to the next appointment.

The output has improved too. Full-resolution photos and detailed descriptions give landlords a professional document that reflects the premium they pay for it, and put the agency in a far stronger position if a property needs to be assessed for dilapidations at the end of a tenancy.

The support: there when it's needed

Gould Harrison hasn't needed to call on support often, but when it has, the answer has come quickly.

Alongside that, the Wooma team visits the office in person and releases updates frequently, so the platform keeps improving between visits.

What's next: inventories that send themselves

The next step is connecting Wooma with Alto, Gould Harrison's CRM. Once a report is complete, Wooma will pick up the incoming tenant's details and move-in date from Alto, then send the inventory automatically on the morning they collect their keys, ready to be signed electronically on the spot. Nobody needs to remember to send it, and there's never any doubt the tenant has received it.

For an agency that still sees lettings as a people business, that's the real value of the technology: less time on admin, and more time for the conversations that matter.

Frequently asked questions

How much faster are inventories with Wooma at Gould Harrison? Gould Harrison now completes inventories in around half the time it took on its previous platform, and every report is finished on site before the property manager leaves.

Did Gould Harrison lose its historical reports when it switched to Wooma? No. Wooma Vault moved the agency's historical records across from the old platform, and Tony Gilbert verified them himself. With the archive in Wooma, the old platform's monthly storage fees are gone too.

Can property managers compare against reports created on a different platform? Yes. During a new inspection, property managers can open the previous report on their phone and compare each room against how it was last recorded, even if that report was produced on another platform.

Why do full-resolution photos matter for dilapidations? If a property needs to be assessed at the end of a tenancy, clear, full-resolution photos and detailed condition descriptions give an agency far stronger evidence than small, compressed thumbnails.

Will Wooma integrate with Alto? Gould Harrison and Wooma are working on an Alto integration. Once complete, Wooma will pick up the incoming tenant's details and move-in date from Alto and send the inventory automatically on the morning they collect their keys.

If your team is still typing up reports back at the office, request a demo to see how Wooma lets you finish every inventory on site.