Getting Started

This page describes how to get up and running with the application. It is also recommended you view the video library which contains a number of short videos for the main steps described in the Getting Started sections below.

Describe your business

The first step is to use the Business Setup link to describe your business so the application knows the correct contact details to use in correspondence and to fine tune the features for the type of property management business that you have.

Add Landlords

If you are a letting agent or if you manage property on behalf of someone else then you should record details of the Landlords for whom you manage property.

If you are a sole landlord managing your own property then there is no need to perform this step.

Click on the icon in the header of the Landlords panel on the home page to add a new Landlord record.

Alternatively, click on the Landlords link at the top of the page and then use the Record New Landlord link on the left hand side of the page to register details of a landlord.

As you register each landlord, it will create a portfolio for the landlord's properties. The landlord will appear in the Landlords panel on the home page and also on the Landlords page. The landlord's portfolio will appear in the Properties panel on the home page and also on the Properties page.

Add Portfolios

Portfolios are used to organize and perform reporting on groups of properties. A small business may only have a single portfolio. Larger businesses may have multiple portfolios, for example, in different cities or countries. An agency business would typically have one portfolio for each landlord.

To record a portfolio, click on the icon in the header of the Properties panel on the home page and select the Create a new portfolio link.

Alternatively, click on the Properties link at the top of the page and then use the Record New Portfolio link on the left hand side of the page.

Add Properties

The application allows you to record multiple types of property units and organize them within portfolios to define a hierarchy of portfolios, properties and their units, for example:

• A house which is simply rented wholesale to a single tenant would be recorded as a single property unit of type House.
• A building which consisted of 3 flats would be recorded as a top-level property of type House along with 3 additional property units within the house each of type Flat.
• Properties can be organized within portfolios.

To record a property unit, click on the icon in the header of the Properties panel on the home page and click the Create a new property unit link.

Alternatively, click on the Properties link at the top of the page and use the links on the left-hand side of the page to create records that describe each of your properties. To describe a single property which has no sub-units then use the Record New Property Unit link. To describe a property which contains sub-units (e.g. a block of flats or an HMO) use the Record New Property with Sub-Units link.

Tenancies

Once you have described the properties that you manage then you can record your tenancies against them.

To record a tenancy, click on the icon in the header of the Tenancies panel on the home page.

Alternatively, click on the Tenancies link at the top of the page and then use the Record New Tenancy link on the left-hand side of the page to register the details of each tenancy.

The system provides a very flexible mechanism for describing the charges against a tenancy in order to automatically calculate the payments due. See the Tenancies help topic for further details.

Income

Once tenancies have been set up you can then start to record payments made by tenants.

There are multiple ways to record income against tenancies:

• Use the Record Income link on the left hand side of the home page.
• Find the tenancy in the Tenancies panel on the home page and click the to the right of it. This will create an income record based upon the next payment due for the tenancy.
• Find the tenancy in the Tenancies section of the home page. Click on the property unit or tenant name link to navigate to the full tenancy balance for the tenant. Use the Record a Payment link on the left-hand side of the page to create an income record. Again, the details of the new income record will default to the next payment due for the tenancy.

Whichever way you use to create the income records, you should make sure to select the correct Charge against which to record the income so tenancy balances are calculated correctly.

Expenditure

Once properties or portfolios have been set up you can record expenditure against them.

Use one of the following ways to record expenditure against properties:

• Use the Record Expenditure link on the left hand side of the home page.
• Find the property in the Properties section on the home page and click the icon to the right of it.
• Find the property in the Properties section on the home page. Click on the property link to navigate to the full property account for the property. Use the Record Expenditure link on the left-hand side of the page to create an expenditure record for the property.

Each expenditure record is associated with a supplier. Although you will not have any suppliers registered when you first get started, the Expenditure dialog allows you to record new suppliers as you create or edit expenditure records.

Similarly, each expenditure record is associated with a transaction category. Although a default set of categories were created when you registered, the Expenditure dialog allows you to register new categories as you create or edit expenditure records.

More

The above sections describe the minimum steps required to quickly get up and running. However, there are a number of additional powerful features which help you run a successful property management business. The following list describes a number of key areas you should explore:

• Tenancy Balances

  Tenancy balances are automatically calculated based upon the charges and payments recorded against each tenancy. You can access a tenancy balance by clicking on the tenancy name in the Tenancies section of the home page or, alternatively, by clicking on the tenancy name on the Tenancies page.

• Landlord Statements
  
  If you are an agent or are managing property on behalf of other landlords then you can create landlord statements. You can access aa landlord statement by clicking on the landlord name in the Landlords section of the home page or, alternatively, by clicking on the landlord from the Landlords page. See the Landlords topic for further information.
  
  
• Property Accounts

  Property accounts are automatically calculated based upon the income received against tenancies of the property and expenditure recorded against the property in each financial period. From the Properties section on the home page, click on the link for a property to see its current property account. Use the date selection parameters at the top of the Property Account page to view details for different dates.

• Documents

  The Document Manager gives you easy access to the key documents and forms required to successfully run a property management business, automatically completing the information in the documents where it's available and presenting the result for download in PDF or Microsoft Word formats. You can access the Document Manager from the Tenancies page, tenancy balance pages and a number of other key pages.

• Tracking Property Management Tasks

  For each property you can keep track of regular management and maintenance tasks such as electrical inspections, energy certifications, insurance, etc. and then have the system automatically remind you when one of these management items needs following up.

• Organiser

  You can access the currently active tasks and calendar appointments from the home page. Alternatively, click on the Organiser link at the top of the page to access the full task and calendar pages.

• Smart Assistants

  Smart assistants are provided for dealing with common tasks, guiding you through the main steps to successfully complete the processes. Currently this includes assistants for managing the key processes of finding a new tenant and a tenant moving out. You can create new smart assistants and access currently active ones from the home page.