Cash flow is the lifeblood of any small business owner, including the plumbers, electricians, gardeners, handymen, and other critical tradespeople who ensure rental properties are kept in tip-top condition.

But in property management, tradespeople typically have to wait until the end of month to get paid or even longer for larger bills that need multiple rent cycles to cover them.

The Ailo platform was designed to help trades get paid sooner. Bills are paid as soon as rent is paid (not at the end of the month in a batch), and property investors also have the option to pay expenses with more than just their rental income. If a bill comes in that is in excess of the rent that month, property investors can cover it using a bank account, debit card or credit card instead and still have the expenses appear on their statements.

Importantly, faster payments means tradespeople are more and more likely to prioritise jobs with agencies who use the Ailo platform. Which means repairs and maintenance requests from renters are taken care of faster.

“Being a small business, it is beneficial and crucial that cash flow comes in all the time, so I can continue working for future jobs,” he said.

“[When I work with agencies on Ailo], I get paid extremely quickly most of the time, which helps me tremendously because I don't have to stress and worry. I can go purchase materials and not have to check the bank several times before I go.”

He said getting repairs fixed promptly is important to keeping everyone happy – the renter, the property owner and the property manager. “You make sure that everything is working as it should be, because they [renters] pay for the services and for the rental.”

Ian is a small business owner and a plumber, and now that he’s a year off retirement he’s been dabbling in property maintenance work, too.

"Anyone who's part of the rental property industry understands the importance of getting things fixed quickly," he said.

“Accidents can occur, water gets lost, power can cause issues, gas can cause issues. And just generally, accidents can happen. So the quicker you get things fixed, the less chance you’ve got of having any dramas that aren’t necessary.”

The faster payments makes it faster and easier for Ian to sort out his accounting once the jobs are done.

“The advantage of being paid quickly is you can clear things off your books much quicker. So instead of it mounting up, you can keep up daily or weekly with getting things off your accounts paid and off your mind,” he said.

“Time is money. The quicker you can get things organised, the quicker you’re onto the next thing! Companies that use Ailo, they're gonna get my business.”

“I'm pretty happy with Ailo. We get paid within three or four days of submitting an invoice, which is always good for a small business like mine,” he said.

"Depending on what time invoices are submitted, but generally money is paid very promptly which is always nice.

“It is nice to have in the back of your mind that you'll be paid fairly promptly. Always good.”