4 in 10 tenants and landlords now arrange security deposits on their smartphone or tablet
Thursday, August 16, 2018 — Increasingly more tenants and landlords who are customers at KBC/CBC or KBC Brussels are arranging security deposits for rented accommodation entirely online (via KBC Mobile on their smartphone or KBC Touch on their desktop or tablet).
- In July 2018, 40% of all security deposits were arranged online whereas just 30% used this method at the start of the year.
- On average, about 1500 security deposit accounts are opened online every month.
- Since May 2018, the number of digital registrations have risen steadily.
New: non-customers (tenants/landlords) can now also arrange a security deposit entirely online via the KBC website.
Karin Van Hoecke, KBC’s General Manager for Mass Retail: 'Making life easier for our customers is a priority for KBC when developing products and new apps. The security deposit account, which is also suitable for students, is a typical example in this regard, with everything being done quickly and easily online in KBC Mobile or KBC Touch. Even non-customers are now able to arrange their security deposits on our kbc.be website, which eliminates the need to go into a KBC Bank branch. This saves a considerable amount of time for both the tenant and the landlord. The security deposit can also be released online when the rental contract ends, and that's a much more convenient situation for all concerned.'
For some time, KBC customers have been able to register a security deposit via KBC Mobile and KBC Touch. The number of users of KBC/CBC Mobile and KBC/CBC Touch is continuing to grow, reaching 1 204 000 for Touch and 823 000 for Mobile at the end of June 2018.
The good news now is that KBC has opened up that possibility to non-customer tenants/landlords:
- tenants who are not with KBC, CBC or KBC Brussels can register a security deposit online via the KBC, CBC and KBC Brussels websites.
- landlords (whether customers or non-customers) can initiate the security deposit procedure on the same websites.
A tenant can use the website not only to register the security deposit, but also take out home insurance while they're there. The application to take out home insurance contains the details of the tenant already filled in, which makes registration even quicker and more efficient.
The landlord, on the other hand, can initiate only the security deposit, not the home insurance.
What's more, students can also visit the KBC and CBC websites for lots of other useful information.
Some of the topics covered include:
- What to bear in mind when moving into student digs
- What to sort out when studying abroad
- Where to find information on the criteria and rates relating to course fees
- How to combine studying and working
- Payment methods for students
