Cactus and PB Plus: A Dynamic Duo Driving Digital Innovation

When PB Plus’ rental inspection app crashed, disrupting operations, they turned to Cactus to rebuild a faster, more stable, and highly efficient digital platform. With deep expertise, an agile approach, and a strong understanding of PB Plus’ market, Cactus quickly became a strategic partner in their journey to build a digital asset. Beyond technical excellence, Cactus brought fresh functional ideas and innovative solutions, continuously expanding the platform’s capabilities with new features and business opportunities for growth.

01. Intro

PB Plus, a Belgian rental inspection company, partnered with Cactus to rebuild their rental inspection application. The partnership turned into a strategic partner where Cactus remains engaged in the further product roadmap.

02. Challenge

After PB Plus asked Cactus to help with the application outage, it was time to set the eyes higher and evolve the application in an Agile manner.

03. Solution

Cactus added Outgoing Inspections, allowing parties to sign off on damages and document agreements for future reference.

04. Results

PB Plus, with Cactus' help, launched a stable platform where all agreements are fully documented with signatures and photos making the process even more seamless with the usage of AI.

01. INTRO

How PB Plus and Cactus Built a Future-Ready Rental Inspection Platform

PB Plus, a Belgian company specializing in rental inspections, provides landlords and real estate agents with an efficient way to complete the process via a web and iPad application. In 2020, PB Plus faced a significant challenge when their app became unstable after an iOS update, leading to disruptions in their operations. Seeking a reliable partner to restore and enhance the platform, PB Plus turned to Cactus. Together, they rebuilt the app into a stable and high-performance platform.

As a startup navigating rapid growth, PB Plus needed a partner who could provide technical expertise and work in an Agile way. Over time, the collaboration evolved, and the team delivered continuous improvements, including key enhancements in the second version of the platform. Today, the focus is on ongoing support and optimization, with both companies exploring new opportunities like AI-driven solutions, ensuring the platform evolves to meet user needs and expectations.

02. CHALLENGE

PB Plus Rebuilds and Expands with Cactus’ Expertise

With PB Plus’ digital rental inspection platform facing a critical issue that interrupted operations, they called on Cactus for a quick and effective remedy. Cactus restored the app to a stable state, allowing landlords and agents to resume their work without delay.

Moving beyond just recovery, Cactus leveraged its deep understanding of the real estate market and PB Plus’ needs to identify key areas for growth. Through close collaboration, they introduced valuable features and innovative solutions, positioning PB Plus for long-term success and providing them with a competitive edge.

03. SOLUTION

A Scalable, High-Performance Rental Inspection Software

Cactus started with a thorough analysis of the codebase to identify the root cause of the platform’s failure. After review, the team recommended a complete overhaul to ensure long-term stability and scalability.

A dedicated team of seven experts, formed by senior Backend, Frontend and Mobile Developers, QA Analyst, Designer and a Project Manager, worked together integrating advanced technologies for optimal performance:

Backend: Laravel 5.6, MySQL 5.7.
Infrastructure: Docker, RabbitMQ for asynchronous event processing.
PDF Processing: Weasyprint for HTML-to-PDF conversions.
Automation: Laravel-based queue system for generating and merging reports.

The revamp introduced a new feature, Outgoing Inspections, designed to simplify end-of-contract inspections, which are often a source of dispute. The platform now documents every area of the property, capturing photos and detailed descriptions of its condition. If damages are found, both parties can agree on the spot and sign off on the inspection. If an agreement isn’t reached, each party has 15 days to submit their perspective on the damages. Afterward, an expert reviews the inputs, provides a final assessment, and suggests a cost for any necessary repairs.

04. RESULT

A high-performance and safer experience for the rental inspection

PB Plus led by Cactus, successfully launched a stable and fully functional digital rental inspections platform. The new system:

Operates smoothly without crashes or disruptions.
Enhances efficiency, making inspections up to five times faster.
Reduces operational costs with a scalable and sustainable solution.
Improves document processing.

With the new features, now the users of the application have a much more reliable way to guarantee that what was agreed during the inspections will be respected by both parties, their costs with litigation got reduced as they now can legally settle any agreements in-person or via the application’s web platform after the inspection.

PB Plus Tablet Interface Damage Overview and Determination Screens

PB Plus Tablet Interface Inspections Screen

PB Plus Tablet Interface Interior Details Screen

CONCLUSION

Future-Proofing Rental Inspection Software with rental inspection

By partnering with Cactus, PB Plus overcame significant technical challenges and secured a high-quality, cost-effective solution. This collaboration also showcased the value of working with a technology partner that understands both their market and user needs.

Looking ahead, PB Plus and Cactus will bring to reality some brand new and innovative features using cutting edge technology that will help their clients to have a great experience at every rental inspection.

“Thanks to Cactus’s expertise, we’ve gained a reliable partner who understands our vision and delivers quality solutions. Collaborating with Cactus' experts has proven to be the right choice for PB Plus.”

Arno Temmerman

Co-founder, PB Plus