Creating a Property

This guide explains how to add one property. It also covers what happens after you save it, which differs for a direct landlord and an organisation.

You need editing access. An organisation Viewer can open existing properties but does not see the add controls.

1. Start the property

Open Properties and select Add property. In an empty portfolio, select Add one property.

The journey has three progress steps: Property, Tenants and Review.

Under Add property:

1. Find the home in Address using Start typing an address....
2. If it is not found, select Can't find the address? Enter it manually. Enter Address line 1, Town or city, Postcode and Country, then select Use this address.
3. Enter a clear Property name. This is how the home appears throughout Lettie.
4. Complete A few useful details: Property type, Bedrooms, Occupancy, Gas supply and House in multiple occupation (HMO). Use Not sure yet rather than guessing.
5. Select Continue.

A valid bedroom count is between 0 and 100. Accurate occupancy matters because Lettie uses it when highlighting missing tenant details.

Direct landlord property details

A direct landlord adds the property to their own portfolio. There is no branch field. After the record is saved, Lettie continues to the direct landlord setup journey for official checks and documents.

Organisation property details

If the organisation has branches, choose a Branch or No branch assigned. The branch affects which branch-restricted Members and Viewers can find the property, so choose it before inviting colleagues to work on the record.

Organisation properties use the organisation's provisioned capacity. They do not enter the direct landlord per-property activation journey.

2. Add tenants or record a vacancy

The Add tenants step follows the occupancy you selected.

If the property is vacant, Lettie shows This property is marked vacant. You can select Add a tenant now, or continue without one. For an occupied property, add the current household where possible. You can also select Continue without tenants and add them later.

For each tenant, enter the required name and mobile number. Under Contact and welcome, you can also add Email address, Preferred contact and Preferred language.

Review Authorise Lettie to welcome this tenant on WhatsApp for every person:

• Select it only when the tenant has agreed to receive one WhatsApp explaining how to use Lettie for maintenance.
• Leave it clear to save the tenant without contacting them.

The setting is not marketing consent and does not send repeated messages. Do not assume every saved tenant will be welcomed.

Use Add another tenant for the rest of the household. Direct landlord properties allow up to eight tenants by default. Organisation limits are set in the organisation agreement.

You can also expand Shared tenancy to record the tenancy type, furnished status, start, end and break dates, rent, frequency and due day, plus deposit protection details. This is one shared agreement for the household, not a separate agreement for each tenant.

Select Review property when the tenant details are ready.

3. Review before saving

On Review property, check the address, profile, occupancy, tenants and tenancy. The tenant summary states either:

• One welcome WhatsApp will be sent for a tenant with permission; or
• Saved without a welcome message when permission is not selected.

Only the tenants shown with permission receive a welcome. Go back and correct the setting before continuing if it does not match what each tenant agreed to.

Select Add property. A direct landlord whose next property needs payment may instead see Save property and continue. That wording means the details are saved before the later activation decision; it does not start a hidden charge.

4. Direct landlord: complete property setup

A direct landlord now sees Set up [property name], with three stages: Official checks, Documents and Review.

Official checks

Lettie tries to match official information such as the EPC and public planning or location data. Review the match carefully. If public data is unavailable, you can still continue; it does not prevent you from saving the property.

Select Add property documents, or use Save and finish later.

Documents

Under Add the records you already have, upload the documents available to you. Upload several files can add more than one at a time. For a suggested record you do not have, choose an honest reason such as I don't have it to hand, I've requested a copy, This does not apply or I'll add it later.

Saving a reason keeps the gap visible so it can be completed later; it does not create a valid compliance document.

Review and activation

The last button reflects the account's current allowance:

• A property within the first four active properties can be finished and activated free.
• A property from number five onwards shows the updated monthly amount before paid activation.
• Keep as inventory for now saves the home without making it active.
• Beyond the self-service limit, finish the record and contact sales.

Read Plans, billing and property activation before activating a paid property.

5. Organisation: continue in the property record

An organisation property is added directly to the organisation workspace. There is no direct landlord Official checks, Documents, Review activation wizard. Open the property to add documents, knowledge, tenancy information and the owner's landlord contact using the normal property sections.

If you leave part-way through

Lettie saves an unfinished new-property form in the browser. When available, reopening the add journey shows Draft restored. Pick up where you left off. Use Start over only when you mean to discard that local draft.

Direct landlord setup progress is also resumable. Use Finish setup or the setup prompt on the property or Billing page to continue. Always check that you are resuming the correct property before uploading documents.